Gordon Clay
Brookings, OR

It's a new school year with lots of new opportunities.

My number one from my perspective is to ask the board to take steps to assure parents that the Board and the School District will do every possible to protect the students from hazing, harassment, bullying, menacing, cyberbullying and retribution so that what happened to members of the girl's basketball teams two plus years ago will never happen again.

I applaud the statement on the district's home page as added by the Title IX uh coordinator, it's phenominal. I hope it's there forever on the front page.

However, after two years of secrecy, the opportunity to clear up with the community the steps the board will be taking to not repeat the errors in judgment and action that were reported in ODE's 26-page "Findings of Fact, Conclusions and Final Order" which was published November 17, 2014.

While it is not a requirement from ODE to inform the community where the board stands of the 7 points of reconciliation, the board's silence on these issues leaves in question whether anything has changed. And who is left to advocate for abused, harassed, and bullied students to protect them from the retribution that happened before.

Those 7 issues are:

1. Prompt and equitable requirements and grievance procedures
2. Adequate, reliable and impartial investigation of complaints;
3. Designated and reasonably prompt investigation time frames
4. Written notice of outcome to complainants
5. Appropriate remedies and enforcement
6. Proactive education, training and prevention for all participants and
7. Effective involvement of the District's Title IX coordinator.

This is a tremendous opportunity, reason being, the board's silence on this subject has lead to a combined fear of retribution, both of the school system, and public demonstration against a complainant.

I hope that will not happen with future complaints.

While several friends have battled the system and stayed in Brookings, Sue Cruckshanks and Bob Kelly, specifically, David Walman, Jodi Harvey, and Jan Krick, all valuable people to our community, choose to leave solely because they felt they couldn't achieve a safe learning environment for their children. And, of course, the situation with Dorothy Shull who made a much more permanent choice.

I personally know several situations curently with families who are looking for safe educational opportunities uh outside our district and I'm pretty sure one of them definitely if they can find (interference).

My second is I've prepared a packet for each board member. It includes a recommendation on steps that could be taken to get the community more involved.

Three: Since it is unclear the future of a data committee to support education changes in the district, I put together a handout bringing the status of the district and schools state report card, the disciplinary status in the schools, and the Healthy Teen trend line up-to-date through the 2013/14 school year so that you all will have, you get the information a lot sooner than the public does. And you'll have this information because I think it will be very valuable in the decisions you'll be making in the next few months. What the direction it's going to be for uh the school district.

Four: Regarding the Model Student Handbook from OSBA. While it's not a policy requirement for the board to approve the handbook, it's been the custom to have boards to do so so that the handbooks may be accorded the legal status of Board-approved policy and regulation. I hope that custom will continue.

Five: Request a public status report from the 21st Century Schools Council on their recommended plans as outlined in IFCA:

In closing, there were so many opportunities for the board and administrators to show leadership and act to protect the students. What it would be like...What I would like to leave you with in thinking about bullying and abuse in our school environment are the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. "What will it hurt...what will hurt the most is not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." There's been an awful lot of silence over the past two plus years from the board and district on issue on these issues and I hope you will break the silence and become outspoken friends and allies to the students under you care. It's time to show dynamic leadership.

I would like to pass out the little packet for each of you and holpe that it serves making the changes that are necessry.

751

What the minutes say

Gordon Clay asked the board to take steps to protect students from hazing, harassment, menacing, and cyber bullying. Gordon is pleased about the addition of the Title IX Coordinator on the front page of the website. He expressed concern for safe educational opportunities in the district. Gordon Clay prepared a packet for the board bringing the status of the report card, the healthy teen trend line and the discipline report. Gordon Clay referenced the student handbook and recommended the board to approve the student handbooks. Gordon Clay asked the board to show dynamic leadership.