Nevada Ed-Watch 11/18/2021

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees
Click here to find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5 pm both virtually and at the Edward A. Greer Education Center Board Room (2832 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89121).

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas
Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Currently, members of the public can submit comments on agenda and non-agenda items through email or voice recording. Public comment can be provided in person, via email, or via voice recording. Email comments should be submitted to Boardmtgcomments@nv.ccsd.net. To submit a voice recording on items listed on the meeting agenda, call 702-799-1166. Voice recorded public comment is limited to 1 minute 30 seconds.

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

Click here to view the meeting playback.

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items

Members of the public provided comments on non-agenda items regarding: 

• Requests for Spanish interpreters at the trustee meetings.
• Lack of consistency and clarity amongst CCSD staff, students, and families of students related to CCSD’s COVID-19 protocols and procedures.
• The need for more transparency around COVID-19 cases reported on campus.
• The importance of culturally responsive teaching and cultural competence.
• Whether the District is adhering to regulations regarding student privacy and due process.
• Concerns that the District is not meeting its goals of supporting and retaining educators, ensuring safe learning environments, and providing competitive pay.
• Teachers not being paid in a timely manner.
• The impact of limitations such as the lack of Spanish-language resources and interpreters in schools on students and families and the ability of Spanish-speaking families to be involved in their children’s education.
• Support for AB-195.
• Concerns about the school to prison pipeline for Black and brown students and how keeping police in schools reinforces the pipeline.
• Requests by students to trustees to support the anti-racism policy, replace police officers on campus with counselors, listen to students, not rehire Dr. Jara, and wear masks-especially during work hours.
• The arguing and bickering between trustees during board meetings.
• Inconsistencies in the grading policy that allow students to pass while failing multiple tests during the second quarter and the final exam.

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on non-agenda action items.  

Trustees Approved Consent Agenda

Trustees approved the consent agenda noting that item 3.30 has been deleted and item 3.28 pulled for a separate discussion.

Consent agenda highlights:

• Approval to implement the U.S. DOE, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund to continue to contract with emocha Mobile Health, Inc., to provide COVID-19 employee symptom monitoring, testing, and mitigation measures.
• Authorization to implement the U.S. DOE, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund to provide equity-inclusive professional learning for CCSD women administrators to engage in a policy leadership network aligned to the District’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, Focus: 2024, facilitated by Voice4Equity LLC.
• Authorization to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education on behalf of the School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to provide health services to the students, siblings, and families of CCSD, at no cost to the students or CCSD.
• Approval of the Memorandum of Understanding between the CCSD and the Anti-Defamation League of Nevada to design, offer, and manage a comprehensive anti-bias professional learning for students and educators.
• Authorization to implement the School-Based Mental Health Professionals Project grant to provide increased access to social and mental health services for students through the federally-awarded Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II Fund), in an amount of $4,123,770.80.
• Approval of the amendment of CCSD Policy 5137, Safe and Respectful Learning Environment Bullying and Cyberbullying.
• Approval of the adoption of CCSD Policy 5139, Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion.

Members of the public provided comments on this agenda item regarding:

• Concerns about the cost of emocha and suggestions on an in-district alternative that can also be more effective.
• Lack of clarity around the purpose of emocha and concerns for the requirements put on educators.
• Concerns about the anti-bias policy.
• Concerns about negative posts shared by teachers on Twitter and what that may say about how teachers speak around students at schools.
• Requests from students for access to social workers, counselors, and mental health services, especially in consideration of students with limited or no insurance.
• Concerns from students about CCSD’s 2,000 to 1 ratio of students to counselors compared to the national and state recommendation of 500 to 1.
• The need for language in Policy 5139 that ensures students and families are not discriminated against based on language and immigration status so that students can feel safe, protected, and able to learn in school.
• A push for resources to be available in Spanish in accordance with AB-195. 
• Support of the anti-bias policy (5139) and how it could positively impact all kids.
• Request for educators to be trained in restorative practices.
• Support of the crisis prevention MOA.
• Support for the MOA with UNLV.
• Concerns about the amount of ESSER funds going toward supplies/software instead of salaries.
• Wonderings about how the District plans to effectively handle reports of racism and suggestions to provide training to prepare educators on how to handle incidents related to racism.

Trustees approved an amendment to Policy 5137, Section 2.A to add the terms “language” and “legal status” to the list of distinguishing characteristics. 

Trustees Approved the Notice of Intent to Adopt, Repeal, or Amend CCSD Policy 6120, Multi-Tiered System of Supports (7-0)

Trustees approved the proposed Policy 6120. The policy was developed by the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) District Leadership Team. The team held feedback sessions with district personnel and community organizations for suggestions on enhancing the policy before presenting this agenda item. The purpose of the MTSS is to improve outcomes for all students in CCSD through an inclusive approach to support instruction that is applied to academics, social-emotional learning, and behavioral development. MTSS uses a collaborative, data-informed approach to ensure continuous school improvement. 

Click here to view the notice of intent.

Trustees Approved the Recommendations Made from the Sex Education Advisory Committee — Recommending Committee to Appoint Members to the Sex Education Advisory Committee (7-0)

Trustees approved committee appointments by the Sex Education Advisory Committee Recommending Committee for the Sex Education Advisory Committee. NRS 389.036 mandates that a Sex Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) to the School Board of Trustees for all school districts be established. The Sex Education Advisory Committee provides a forum for input on sex education instructional materials and the exchange of ideas between community stakeholders and the school district.

Members of the publicprovided comments on this agenda item regarding:

• Support for sex education for students.
• Concerns that the Advisory Committee does not have a representative from CCSD District C.
• Disapproval of the sex education program for students.
• Concerns that the sex education program impedes the rights of parents to choose the sex education they give to their students.
• A proposal for workshops on sex education for parents so that they can learn how to educate their students at home.

Click here to view the recommendation.

Click here and here to view written public comments submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved Adoption of the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 School Calendars for Staff and Students (7-0)

There are two significant changes in the calendars from prior school years:

• Spring break typically ends with the Good Friday of Easter. The calendar proposes that spring break be a consistent time period in March. This is because Easter changes year to year and it can be disruptive to the annual testing window. The change would move spring break into March and it will consistently fall in the same period.
• Juneteenth has been added as a holiday.

Members of the publicprovided comments on this agenda item regarding:

• A request for unassigned days on the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week since attendance and student engagement are lower during those days.
• Concerns about financial stress on support staff due to two unassigned days within two consecutive paydays in March 2024 and April 2024.
• Support for the observance of Juneteenth.
• A request for the observance of Latino culture on either September 16 for Mexican Independence Day or May 5 for Cinco de Mayo.

Trustees and presenters discussed the decision to observe Juneteenth as it is a federal holiday and that while Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo are not federal holidays, there may be a possibility to observe these days in future calendars with consideration needed for how to ensure meeting the minimum legally required school days. Other considerations discussed included how additional unassigned days would impact the pay of support staff, students who rely on school meals, and the shortening of the first semester.

Trustees approved the calendars as written with an amendment to adjust the 2023-2024 calendars to ensure that there aren’t two unassigned days for support staff within one pay period in March 2024 and April 2024.

View drafts of the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 staff calendars.

View drafts of the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 student calendars.

Click here to view written public comment submitting online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved Amendment of the 2021-2022 School Calendar for Staff to Include the Juneteenth Holiday (7-0)

Members of the publicprovided comments on this agenda regarding:

• Support of the amendment to include Juneteenth in the 2021-2022 school calendar for staff.
• The importance of honoring Juneteenth.

Click here to view the revised 2021-2022 staff calendar.

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved the Review of American Indian/Alaska Native Policies and Procedures for Federal Impact Aid Section 7003 (6-0)

The Federal Impact Aid Section 7003 requires districts to perform an annual review of their Indian Policies and Procedures (IPPs). The IPPs ensure that Native American/Alaska Native students participate in the district’s general education program on an equal basis with other students and that their parents and tribe have input. The IPPs were reviewed and approved in September 2021 by the trustees. CCSD made adjustments to the IPPs after speaking with the tribes about how they wanted to be communicated with. CCSD consulted with local tribal officials, parents, guardians, and students to develop, update, and promote the IPPs that further the planning and development and education activities for the Indian Education Opportunities Program. IPPs are developed to provide input on academic and cultural programming and impact all areas of academic achievement of Native American students attending CCSD.

Trustees moved to approve the IPPs (6-0) with one trustee absent from the vote.

Members of the publicprovided comments on this agenda item regarding concerns about whether CCSD is providing adequate support to the American Indian/Alaska Native families.

Click here to view the public hearing notice.

Trustees Approved the 2021-2023 Negotiated Agreement between CCSD and the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) (6-0-1)

The agreement is a two-year extension of the 2019-2021 agreement that extends most previous contract terms and modifies a number of terms including terms related to call-back pay, bereavement, sick leave reimbursement, and health insurance for a total cost of $1,106,191,000 over the next two years.

Trustees moved to approve this item (6-0) with one abstention.

Members of the publicprovided comments in support of the adoption of the agreement.

Click here to view the executive summary.

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved the New Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between CCSD and the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) Regarding the Provision of Improved Services (6-0-1)

The new MOA between CCSD and the ESEA addresses the Provision of Improved Services for support staff and modifies a number of terms including terms related to position reclassification, training and pay, professional pathways, and hiring and retention policies for a total cost of $7,568,000 over the next two years.

Trustees moved to approve this item (6-0) with one abstention.

Members of the publicprovided comments on this agenda in support of the MOA.

Click here to view the executive summary.

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved the Selection of an Outside Expert to Conduct an Investigation into Allegations of a Hostile Work Environment (4-3)

Trustees discussed the possibility of hiring a third party to review the work environment at the Trustee and Administrative levels. Trustees discussed the intended scope of the investigation. 

The motion was made to authorize the Chief Financial Officer of CCSD to establish a process to identify an external contractor to conduct the review and to allocate $100,000 from the general fund; the CFO was directed to work with a small group of Trustees before the selected partner will be brought back to the full Board for approval. 

Trustees moved to approve this item (4-3).

Members of the public provided comments both in support and opposition to the item, including raising questions related to the scope of the investigation. 

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approve Reconsideration of Agenda Item 3.01 of the October 28, 2021, Meeting of the Board of Trustees (4-3)

Trustees deliberated the reconsideration of agenda item 3.01 of the October 28, 2021, Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees (see the agenda item here and read the Nevada EdWatch from that meeting here).

Trustees moved to approve this item (4-3).

Members of the public provided comments both in support and opposition to the item. 

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved a Motion to Not-Terminate for Convenience of the Employment Agreement with The Superintendent of Schools (4-3) 

Following an introduction of the rationale for reconsideration, Trustees discussed reinstating the contract of Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara.  Trustees who sought to bring the item forward shared concerns over alleged communications that could have constituted an Open Meeting Law.  Trustees also heard about an Open Meeting Law complaint that had been filed with the Attorney General’s Office following the May 13, 2021, Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees where Superintendent Jara’s contract was discussed. 

Superintendent Jara was not present for the meeting. 

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Approved Tabling Discussion on Interim Superintendent Selection (5-2)

Trustees discussed the possibility of putting forward a process to identify an interim Superintendent. The Trustees voted on a motion to table this item pending final determination of Superintendent Jara’s future employment with the District. The motion included an amendment to select an interim Superintendent based on the recommendations provided by Superintendent Jara. 

Trustees first approved a motion to call for the question. This motion passed 6-1. 

Trustees voted 5-2 to approve this item.

Click here to view written public comment submitted online on this agenda item.

Trustees Requested Future Agenda Items:

• Trustees requested an item to consider hosting Consent Agenda Items in public

Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items (#2)

Members of the publicprovided comments on non-agenda items regarding:

• Instability in the District leadership at the Board level.
• Lack of constitutional authority of the Board to engage in rulemaking.
• The future of Superintendent Jara’s employment.
• Thank you to Trustee Williams for her support with Health Insurance.
• Against banning books.
• How substitute funds are used in the event that a substitute is not available.