Quincy Public Schools

QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ Monday, December 6, 2021

A meeting of the Policy Subcommittee was held on Monday, December 6, 2021 at 6:00 pm in the Coddington Building.  Present were Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Courtney Perdios, Mr. Frank Santoro, and Mr. Paul Bregoli, Chair.  Also present were Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Rebecca McInnis, Mr. Keith Segalla, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.

Executive Director of CVTE & Instructional Technology Keith Segalla presented on the proposed changes to School Committee Policy 10.5.3 Career & Technical Education Admissions Policy.  The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education established revised regulations that affect the existing Policy.  For oversubscribed programs, additional admissions criteria have been added for Student Statement of Interest and Teacher Recommendation. 

Mrs. Lebo asked about removal of Homeless students from the CVTE Policy language.  Ms. Owens noted that there is a separate Quincy School Committee Policy that covers the rights of Homeless students which applies to all Quincy Public Schools programs.

Mrs. Lebo noted that for Grade 9, the Freshman Seminar Exploratory program is considered a program where out of district students could be admitted, so this section of the Policy should reflect this.  Mrs. Lebo asked about out of district students, there are currently none enrolled in any Quincy Public Schools CVTE programs.

Mrs. Hubley asked for Conduct points to be reviewed, students should be awarded 0 point for 5 or more incidents.

Mrs. Perdios asked about how students designate the alternative program(s) they are interested in.  Mr. Segalla said students choose up to three options during the course selection process.

Mr. Santoro noted that the Open Enrollment Policy should be reviewed to make sure the language reflects that students are granted high school Open Enrollment based on CVTE program interests.

Mrs. Hubley made a motion to move the updated School Committee Policy 10.5.3 Career, Vocational & Technical Education Admissions Policy to the full School Committee for review, seconded by Mrs. Perdios.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.  This item will appear on the agenda for the December 8, 2021 School Committee meeting for discussion and be eligible for vote at the January 19, 2022 School Committee meeting.

Mrs. Hubley made a motion to adjourn the Policy Subcommittee meeting at 6:15 pm.  Mrs. Perdios seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Quincy School Committee

Athletics & Wellness Subcommittee

**This meeting is a Committee of the Whole**

Mr. Doug Gutro, Athletics & Wellness Chair

Ms. Kathryn Hubley & Mrs. Emily Lebo, Subcommittee Members

Monday, December 6, 2021, 6:05 pm

Coddington Building, School Committee Room

Per Governor Baker’s order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A sec. 20, the public will not be allowed to physically access this School Committee meeting.  Members of the Public can access the meeting live on QATV Channel 22 or at www.qatv.org.  The meeting will also be recorded for rebroadcast and posted on the QPS SchoolTube website on Friday, December 10, 2021.

AGENDA

1.   Fall 2021 Athletics Update              Mr. Mahoney, Mr. Niamkey

2.   Winter 2021-22 Athletics Overview

                                                     Mr. Mahoney, Mr. Niamkey

3.   Health Services Program Improvement Plan

  Ms. Rita Bailey

QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

ATHLETICS & WELLNESS SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ Monday, December 6, 2021

A meeting of the Athletics & Wellness Subcommittee was held on Monday, December 6, 2021 at 6:00 pm in the Coddington Building.  Present were Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Courtney Perdios, Mr. Frank Santoro, and Mr. Doug Gutro, Chair.  Also present were Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Mr. Kevin Mahoney, Mr. Jean-Jacques Niamkey, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.

Quincy High School Athletic Director Kevin Mahoney and North Quincy High School Athletic Director Jean-Jacques Niamkey presented a review of Fall 2021 Athletics.  Students were allowed to return to play without modifications in rules and participation numbers exceeded pre-COVID levels.

The NQHS Girls Volleyball team tied for 2^nd in the Fisher Division of the Patriot League and qualified for MIAA tournament.  QNQ Girls Cross-Country finished 2^nd in the Patriot League and Boys Cross Country finished in a three-way tie for 1^st place in the Fisher Division. The NQHS Football team won the City Championship, Thanksgiving Day was a great atmosphere, perfect weather.  The Marching band, color guard, and cheerleaders put on a great half-time show.

At QHS, the Boys Golf program qualified for the tournament for the first time in 40 years, thanks to Coach Joe Salvucci.  The Girls Volleyball team won the Patriot League Fisher Division for the 4^th year in a row.  Boys & Girls Volleyball Coach Jacqueline Niosi was recently named MIAA Volleyball Coach of the Year for 2020-2021

Mr. Niamkey explained the new MIAA State Tournament format, power ranking based on Divisional rankings (winning percentage, strength of matches).  More travel is involved in the new format, 1^st round for Volleyball was QHS traveling to Peabody and NQHS traveling to Mansfield. 

Mrs. Hubley asked about the scoring for the statewide tournaments, Mr. Niamkey said “margin of victory” is a factor in the MIAA ranking, this is considered to be flawed and affect sportsmanship.  For example, while there are more points for winning by a larger margin, but they are capped.  A basketball game win gets the maximum points for 10 points, so running up the score doesn’t gain any additional points. 

Mr. Santoro hopes that this will be monitored, when a team is not strong it can be a factor.  Mr. Santoro suggested School Committee send a letter to the MIAA.  Mr. Niamkey said the Patriot League Athletic Directors are working on a statement as well.

For the Winter 2021-22 season, games will start this weekend.  Participation numbers are looking good, all indoor sports have mask mandate and no modifications for game rules. 

Mr. Niamkey noted that the high schools are establishing a co-op Downhill Skiing club, over 30 students are signed up to participate in the Ski East program at Blue Hills. Practice will be on Tuesdays and competitions on Wednesdays starting in January.

For QNQ Swimming, the renovated Lincoln Hancock pool is open for practice and competition.

Mrs. Hubley asked if the Lincoln Hancock pool locker rooms are completed andMr. Niamkey confirmed.

Mrs. Perdios asked about the protocols around communication between students and coaches.  Mr. Mahoney and Mr. Niamkey said that most use the Remind app, some use other apps such as Sports U and Google classroom. 

Mrs. Lebo said that previously the recommendation has been for teachers not be texting students on a chain, for their own professional safety, and suggested having the same policy for coaches.

Health Services Coordinator Rita Bailey then presented the Health Services Program Improvement Plan and reflected on the 2020-2021 Health Services Team goals, including continuing the Wellness Initiative and educating students and families about COVID-19 (monitoring health symptoms, following MPDH and DESE guidelines).  For 2021-2022, the focus will be on COVID-19 public health campaigns, coordinating pooled testing and test & stay, providing education on symptom awareness, contact tracing, and communication with families.  Since the start of the school year, school nurses have completed just under 5,500 COVID-19 related phone calls, 17,125 individual pooled testing swabs, and 1,470 test & stay individual tests. 

In addition to COVID-19, nurses are taking care of students with existing health conditions such as asthma and diabetes (over 3000 students), assist with transitioning students with concussions back to school, conducting annual screenings for vision, hearing, and support students and staff general well-being, including mental health.  Nurses connect with students and families, support social-emotional learning, and ensure a safe and supportive environment for the school community, including providing CPR & AED training. 

Mrs. Hubley thanked Ms. Bailey and all of the school nurses for their extraordinary efforts.

Mrs. Lebo is concerned about the school nurses and the amount of extra time they are putting in, worried about burnout to do the administrative work required to document for COVID-19 cases. 

Mrs. Lebo asked if there are substitute school nurses, Ms. Bailey said there is a very small pool.  Mrs. Lebo asked about staffing changes, two nurses have resigned this fall, one veteran and one new hire. 

Mrs. Lebo asked about vaping in schools, students are complaining about the number of students in the bathrooms.  Mr. Santoro said the only way to prevent vaping is constant monitoring of the restrooms, additional staff is needed, both male and female.  Mr. Santoro said that counseling for students who are caught vaping is important, QPS has been doing this for years.

Mrs. Perdios asked about Professional Development topics, specifically health issues around LGBTQ+ students.  Ms. Bailey said that those topics have been explored in previous years, this year the focus is on mental health issues related to COVID-19.

Mrs. Perdios asked about holiday concerts, Ms. Perkins said most middle & high school concerts will take place in December, several are scheduled for January, and elementary concerts are being deferred to March.

Mrs. Hubley made a motion to adjourn the Athletics & Wellness Subcommittee meeting at 7:15 pm.  Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Quincy School Committee

Special Education Subcommittee

Monday, December 6, 2021 at 6:45 pm

Coddington Building, School Committee Room

Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Chair

Mr. Doug Gutro & Mrs. Emily Lebo, Subcommittee Members

**This meeting is a Committee of the Whole**

Per Governor Baker’s order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A sec. 20, the public will not be allowed to physically access this School Committee meeting.  Members of the Public can access the meeting live on QATV Channel 22 or at www.qatv.org.  The meeting will also be recorded for rebroadcast and posted on the QPS SchoolTube website on Friday, December 10, 2021.

AGENDA

1.    Special Education Program Improvement Plan                       Ms. Graham

2.    QPAC Update                                                           Ms. McGill & Ms. Wood

QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

SPECIAL EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ Monday, December 6, 2021

A meeting of the Special Education Subcommittee was held on Monday, December 6, 2021 at 7:15 pm in the Coddington Building.  Present were Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Courtney Perdios, Mr. Frank Santoro, and Mr. Doug Gutro, Chair.  Also present were Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Julie Graham, Ms. Sarah Anderson, Ms. Simone Buckley, Ms. Katie Carey, Ms. Donna Cunningham, Ms. Jennifer Leary, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.

Special Education Director Julie Graham reviewed the Special Education Department mission and the MAP scores for Mathematics, Science, and English Language Arts.  While the goals for 2020-2021 were not met, there was some evidence of growth.  These goals are being continued forward and work is already underway with targeted skill support, summer school programming, and utilizing online resources/learning platforms.  Goals from the substantially separate programs were also reviewed along with the Special Education team goal of meeting the educational, social, and emotional challenges of high needs students during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a Special Education Learning plan tailored to meet the instructional choices of the family: remote, in-person, or hybrid.  Approximately 75% of IEP and 504 plan student attended school in person during the 2020-2021 school year. 

In reviewing Special Education student MCAS data, QPS participation numbers surpassed the state for ELA, Mathematics, and Science Grades 3-8.  Grade 10 participation was 85%, but those students had to come to school to take the assessments.  Assessment results parallel the general education students, in that there were declines in performance across the board in all grades and all curriculum areas.  As previously discussed with School Committee, significant disproportionality was noted for the 2019-2020 school year, specifically an over-identification of white students with a Health disability.  As of September 2021, reasonable progress has been made in lowering our risk ratio after working with DESE who will now monitor QPS for the next three years on this issue.

Looking ahead to 2021-2022 goals, the Elementary Special Education Team will work in collaboration with the Literacy and Classroom Teachers to administer the new early literacy universal and dyslexia screener, Amplify mCLASS with DIBELS to all students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 in the Fall/Winter/Spring of the 2021-2022 school year.  The data collected from the screener will be used to ensure that students are receiving the appropriate tier of instruction.  The middle and high school Special Education teachers and support staff at North Quincy High School, Quincy High School, and South~West Middle School will create a social connections group that will meet monthly to foster friendships and inclusivity between students with and without disabilities.  For the post-Secondary Team, Quincy Public Schools will partner with Quincy College to develop and work towards implementation of a post-secondary program for students with intellectual disabilities.  The Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy Teams will incorporate digital materials into weekly lesson plans for in-person therapy sessions to support student engagement and progress towards goals.  In addition, the Team will utilize digital tools to provide resources to parents. 

In concluding the presentation of the Program Improvement Plan, Ms. Graham reviewed Professional Development planned for the school year and noted that the DESE Audit was successfully completed during the last school year with no corrective actions recommended. 

Mrs. Hubley asked if all CARES and Learning Center team members will be trained and Ms. Graham confirmed.  The team members will be using ACE for three students in each classroom

Mrs. Hubley asked about Parent Academy events, Ms. Graham said these will be planned for Winter and Spring 2022, may continue to offer remotely.

Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification on the Significant Disproportionality issue, Ms. Graham said that students are diagnosed through their own doctor and their initial IEP carries that specific diagnosis.  Ms. Anderson said a number of the students were in middle and high school and had carried this initial diagnosis, in some cases students were re-evaluated and have a different main diagnosis.

Mrs. Lebo asked about staffing for Physical Therapy.  Ms. Graham said there is one Quincy Public Schools staff member and another part-time contractual.  Ms. Perkins said there are also three Physical Therapy Assistants.  Mrs. Lebo asked about BCBA staff, all five are contracted through Melmark and work part time. 

Mr. Gutro asked about the ESSER grant funding for Special Education programming, Ms. Graham said it is focused on expanding existing programs to a wider range of students.  Mr. Gutro would like to see how ESSER funding impacts goals.

Mr. Gutro asked about the DeCristofaro Learning Center, no reference to this within the Program Improvement Plan.  Ms. Graham said that since the construction is not yet underway, there is no transition yet.  Ms. Perkins said the Behavior Support Team is the first step in the transition process, as well as the ACE curriculum.  Mr. Gutro asked what the metrics are for the goals in the Program Improvement Plan, Ms. Carey said the action steps are part of the PIP.  Ms. Perkins said in addition, DIBELS, MAP, and MCAS data will also be shared.

Mrs. Perdios thanked the presenters, very impressive efforts from all of the Special Education staff.  Mrs. Perdios said that parents often struggle with how to navigate the Special Education system, especially during the initial identification process.  Ms. Graham said first and foremost, parents always have the right to request a meeting with the school, QPS strives to fully support families who have concerns about their students.  Mrs. Perdios said this information needs to be more prominent on the QPS website, schools welcome materials, and the Student Handbook.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to accept the Special Education Program Improvement Plan, seconded by Mr. Gutro.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education Co-Presidents Sarah Wood and Ginger McGill joined the meeting to provide an update on activities since they were elected in May 2021.  Ms. Wood said that parents want to be involved, there is a full QPAC board for the first time in a few years.  QPAC wants to position themselves as a resource and have created a brochure to share with schools and daycares.  The goal for this year is to rebrand QPAC and become more visible.  The monthly meetings are being held in person and many new parents have come to the meetings held so far this year.

The first community event of the year was the QPAC Trunk or Treat on Halloween, very well-attended by over 300 students and their families. There is a tremendous need for socialization and activities for Special Education students.  Particularly for out of district students, there is a need for age-appropriate social activities.  Also planning to work with the Recreation Department to collaborate on inclusive programming. 

Mrs. Hubley thanked Ms. Wood and Ms. McGill, QPAC is such an important support for Special Education parents in navigating the process.

Mrs. Lebo said that School Committee is here to support QPAC as well.  

Mr. Gutro thanked Ms. Wood and Ms. McGill for taking a leadership role, energy and new ideas are important for every organization. 

Mrs. Perdios thanked Ms. McGill and Ms. Wood for being welcoming and supporting the community members, agreed that the Learning Center will be the opportunity for community building.

Superintendent Mulvey thanked the QPAC Co-Presidents for their partnership with Quincy Public Schools, he is looking forward to collaborating on developing programming for the Learning Center. 

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to adjourn the Special Education Subcommittee meeting at 9:00 pm.  Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.