Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Nov 10, 2020

Call to Order    Dr. Ahern

Pledge of Allegiance 

Moment of Silence 

 

Organizational Meeting:

• Election of Chair
• Election of Vice Chair

 

I.    Routine Business

A.    Review of Agenda

B.    Citizen’s Comments

In the spirit of open communication, “the Committee will hold a public participation segment (also called Citizen’s Comments) about matters not related to an agenda item at the beginning of each regular School Committee meeting. The Committee will listen to, but not respond to any comment made…. A Committee member may add an agenda item to a future meeting as a result of a citizen comment…. The Committee will hear public comments related to an agenda item when the Chair deems appropriate during the Committee meeting. Topics for discussion during the meeting must be limited to those items listed on the Committee meeting agenda for that evening…. ” - from Policy BEDH

C.    FHS Student Representative Comments

D.    Superintendent’s Report

 

II.    Guests/Presentations

A.    Portrait of a Graduate

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/pog-skills-descriptors

1.    Process, Indicators, and Descriptors -- Sara Ahern, Joyce Edwards, Lucas Giguere, Paula Marano, Josh Hanna, Paul Duprey, Lizzie Morrison, Beckie Motte

2.    Graphic Design - Anne Marie Tracey

 

III.    Discussion/Action Items

A.    Policy - 2nd Reading/Adoption

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/disc-action-policy-0

I recommend adoption of the following policies as discussed:

●    AC - Nondiscrimination

●    ACAB - Harassment

●    ACAB-R1 - Grievance Procedure for Complaints of Harassment and Discrimination

●    ACAB-R2 - Grievance Procedure for Complaints of Sexual Harassment Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

●    JQA - Financial Assistance

 

IV.    Discussion Only Items

A.    Reopening of Schools - Status Update 11/6/2020

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/reopen-status-update

 

V.    Information Matters

A.    School Committee Sub-Committee Reports (e.g. Ad Hoc Supt. Evaluation, Ad Hoc Facilities Analysis, Budget, Community Relations/Public Schools Advocacy, Policy, Transportation)

 

B.    School Committee Liaison Reports (e.g. Joint PCC, Substance Abuse Task Force, School Wellness Advisory Council)

 

VI.    New Business

A.    To discuss any future agenda items

 

VII.    Consent Agenda

A.    Approval of Minutes

I recommend approval of the minutes from the October 27, 2020 School Committee meeting as detailed.

B.    Executive Session Minutes

I recommend approval of the executive session minutes from the October 27, 2020 School Committee meeting as detailed to be released.

C.    Solutions Gift

I recommend acceptance of a check for $300.00 from the Franklin Cultural Council for supplemental curriculum materials for the Solutions Program as detailed.

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/c-action-c-solutions

D.    Athletics Gift

I recommend acceptance of a check for $61.85 from Campus Box Media, LLC for supplemental supplies for FHS Athletics as detailed.

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/c-action-d-athletics

 

VIII.    Payment of Bills    TBD

 

IX.    Payroll    TBD

 

X.    Executive Session

 

XI.    Adjournment

 

The documents for this meeting can be found in the online folder

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/november-10-2020-school-committee-meeting-packet

 

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Nov 10, 2020

Franklin Public Library: Curbside Pickup

How it works:

• Place a hold in the Minuteman Library Network catalog https://find.minlib.net
• Wait for a notification (email, text, phone call)
• Pick up your items at the Library Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the glass vestibule entrance at the top of the ramp.
• Items are filed by your last name on book carts
• Your items are already checked out to you, just bring them home!
• Prefer to make a request by phone? Give us a call between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 508-520-4941. We can place up to five holds per phone call.

Returns:

• Please return items in the return slots at the top of the ramp, to the left of the glass doors.
• To return an oversized item, call the Circulation Desk during Curbside Pickup hours and a staff person will meet you at the door to accept the item.
• Please call the Circulation Desk with any questions, or if you have mobility issues: 508-520-4941. 

 

Download a copy of this for reference

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I2DLK1tW0OuJseCNqg7U3xGVwtqqQ1BU/view?usp=sharing

 

Franklin Public Library: Curbside Pickup

FM #384 "A Minister, a Priest and a Rabbi walk into a Radio Station" - LIVE - 11/04/20 (audio)

FM #384 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 384 in the series.

This special edition shares the audio of the live Franklin Public Radio show that was broadcast on Wednesday morning, November 4, 2020:  “A Minister, a Priest and a Rabbi walk into a Radio Station”

This program features an interview format with Rabbi Tom Alpert (Temple Etz Chaim), Rev. Kathy McAdams (St. John's Episcopal Church) and Rev Eric Cherry (First Universalist Society of Franklin).  Jay Horrigan and Pandora Carlucci co-facilitate the discussion. Pete Fasciano and Keith Palmieri handle the technical details. I was honored to be a guest for this episode and share the stats from the unofficial election results Nov 3.

Anytime Listen Audio file =  https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HDf00XDS

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All episodes of this show can be found on  https://temple-etzchaim.org/community/listen-watch/

 

You can also catch this program repeated  on wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the local dial on Thursday's at 9:00 AM / 12:00 PM / 6:00 PM or Sunday's at 9:00 AM.

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

"A Priest, a Rabbi and a Minister walk into a Radio Station…"

 

 

“The kids are ecstatic. The kids are absolutely thrilled”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Izzy Arnold received her first COVID-19 test Saturday morning.

“It was kind of uncomfortable,” the Franklin High junior soccer player said. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

And that sentiment accurately sums up the past week for Franklin High students and administrators.

A party on Oct. 31 at a home in Franklin, where up to 50 high school students failed to practice social distancing or wear masks, forced Franklin High School to shut down until Nov. 16."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://franklin.wickedlocal.com/sports/20201107/franklin-high-athletes-take-covid-19-tests-in-order-to-resume-fall-season?rssfeed=true

 

The Nov 1 letter shutting sports down with delay to hybrid until Nov 16

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/franklin-public-schools-fhs-hybrid.html

 

The Nov 5 letter with the test plan for athletes

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/fhs-path-to-return-to-playperform.html 

“The kids are ecstatic. The kids are absolutely thrilled”

Soooo– What’s the Fix? Toward a More Accurate Union

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 11/08/2020

“So, what have we learned?” This is not a question. It’s that parental admonition you hear when you did something you were warned not to do – and you suffered for it. You touched that hot stove. You got a boo-boo. You cried. So, what have we learned? Admit it.  Our national election system is flawed.  It’s not perfect.

I write this on Saturday AM. It’s been 4 days and counting. We wait. Votes are being tallied with the greatest deliberation and care, as they should be. Why couldn’t we know the outcome on election night? Why would there be any discrepancy between the national popular vote (will-o-the people) and the electoral outcome (again)?

In the corridors of Congress there is a pertinent quip. Any law that creates a new wing in the offices of attorneys and accountants – is a bad law. In our quest for a more perfect union, we need to consider a more perfect Constitution. We have done this before – 33 times – with 27 realized in the form of Constitutional Amendments. Our first 10 Amendments as The Bill of Rights are revered every bit as deeply as the original Constitution itself.

We’ve even amended our Amendments when necessary. The 21st repealed the 18th after 14 years of prohibition. In that short span, the 19th gave women the vote. The 20th set the dates when the President and Congress begin and end their terms. The 22nd set Presidential term limits. Through its amendments, the Constitution is a living document that moves slowly yet ever persistently toward greater perfection.

Just as lawyers perfect business contracts with taut, unambiguous legal language, the Constitution itself needs additional perfection now and ten. Hence, amendments. Where contracts are limited by time or fulfillment, The Constitution has no sunset clause. Therefore, to continually perfect its relevance, it too needs maintenance.

The Constitution reserves to states those rights not expressly prescribed by the Federal government. That includes how states conduct their elections for state and federal office – governors, senators, representatives. These offices are voted by each state to serve that state. The President of The United States is different than any other political office. POTUS represents all of us equally, and should be elected by all of us through our individual votes applied in equal effect and measure.

So, given the anguish of these last two presidential elections – what have we learned?

What’s the fix? What are the things we should amend?
 
Our singularly national election of a President takes place among fifty separate statewide elections. The careful goal should be to harmonize the Presidential election across all states while not unduly abridging each state’s right to conduct its elections for other offices as it deems appropriate. There are things we can do.

Thing One:
We do not have to abolish the Electoral College outright. We just have to eliminate “Winner-Take-All” and apportion each state’s electors according to the popular vote in that state. This balances the power of the vote for all populations in all states. It benefits the people in those states that are deemed noncompetitive as solidly red or blue in presidential elections and which therefore receive less attention by major party candidates.  With “every vote equal”, the presidential and vice-presidential nominees and their organizations would campaign for every vote nationwide, rather than working key battleground states. The concentration of campaign resources, advertising, and candidate appearances in battleground states depresses voter turnout in fly-over states where candidates make few campaign appearances.

Thing Two:
Prepare, cure and count all legal mail-in and absentee ballots timely. Mailed ballots must be cast prior to a federally prescribed uniform deadline – postmarked 7 days prior to Election Day. Ballots may also be submitted by hand to ballot boxes or to election officials up to the closing hour of the election. This is a balanced approach that ensures the inclusion of legal mail-in votes in the Election Day tally. It does not abridge the option to cast a ballot by drop-box-or in person on Election Day. It enables every state a consistent set of national ground rules to provide a timely, accurate national count. It has no material effect on votes for statewide offices.

Thing Three:
To qualify for the Office of the President or Vice-President, a prospective candidate must first serve for a minimum of a full term in statewide elected office, specifically as a governor, a senator or a representative. This requirement ensures that beyond money and celebrity, all presidential candidates bring a modicum of political and legislative wisdom to this most important role as the leader of the free world.

Craft, perfect and pass the above things as an Amendment. The Constitutionality could not ever be called into question because an Amendment becomes integral to the Constitution, the one thing that strives to move us all toward perfection.

Having offered one view, this floor is open to other suggestion. What would you do? 

And – as always –
Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm. 

And, thank you for watching. 

 

 

The Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio program guide can be found online

http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf   For historical purposes, the program guide:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sbEpFCbXbQuawl2BIYGDj3M3-3XQdTYv/view?usp=sharing

 

 

Soooo– What’s the Fix? Toward a More Accurate Union

"Municipalities have until Nov. 18 to send their final tallies to the state"

 From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"These vote-counting sessions are required so that local clerks can count any ballots that came in between 5 p.m. on Election Day and 5 p.m. on Friday, as long as they were postmarked by Tuesday. Another session will need to be scheduled to count overseas ballots, which have another week to arrive, but again, must have been postmarked by Nov. 3.

Municipalities were allowed to save ballots that came in the mail on Election Day until these later counting sessions, but many chose to count them on Election Day.

None of the cities or towns in MetroWest or Greater Milford who responded to the Daily News anticipate having enough ballots to overturn their town’s presidential results. Several had 20 ballots or fewer as of Thursday or Friday afternoon, with only a day or a few hours left until the post office could drop off more.

On Saturday, Franklin officials expected to count nearly 200 ballots, the most of any community in the region. But that’s still not enough to take the win from Biden in that town, where he had just under 5,000 votes more than President Donald Trump."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201107/several-greater-milford-metrowest-communities-still-have-mail-in-ballots-to-count-then-its-on-to-overseas-ballots?rssfeed=true

 

"Municipalities have until Nov. 18 to send their final tallies to the state"

"2,200 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in MA"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The state Department of Public Health reported an additional 2,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 164,936.

This marks the second straight day that state health officials have reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases. The last time that happened was April 24-25.

An estimated 20,720 cases are active across the state, the daily report shows."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20201107/2200-new-covid-19-cases-confirmed-in-mass-23-additional-deaths?rssfeed=true