06-14-2022 Alief ISD Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service Plan Meeting
Based upon the responses to my questions and concerns during the meeting, this meeting seemed to be more about the district being compliant with the laws requiring that they host a public meeting, than the district providing an equitable opportunity for ALL parents, students, and community members to be engaged, provide feedback, and work collaborative with the district regarding the safety and education of OUR students and staff. Imagine if our students, parents, teachers, and essential workers started doing just the legal limit (the bare minimum of their employment contracts with the district.
ALIEF ISD: For the June 14, 2022, 5:30pm meeting the district did not print the first 4 pages of the Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services allegedly because they wanted to, “save paper,” (5:27 mark of the video).
DAMON BARONE: But the district is not interested in saving the parents and community time, gas, and convenience by live streaming the meeting for us.
DAMON BARONE: When I went to the district’s website on June 14, 2022, after the meeting, the document on the district’s website (page 1) stated that it had last been UPDATED DECEMBER 2021.
ALIEF ISD: The reason that the district has the Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services meeting is because, “it is a requirement of the ESSER III funding,” (5:47 mark of the video).
DAMON BARONE: The interactions from the meeting felt as though it was only being done by the district because it was required by state law for the district to do so if they want to receive federal funding. So, if it wasn’t required by law or wasn’t tied to funding it is clear that the meeting would have never taken place, nor would the agenda be posted, or public participation be sought based upon the district willingness to do the legal limit (bare minimum) to notify our community of the June 14, 2022 meeting, and the districts responses to the concerns that I expressed during the meeting.
ALIEF ISD: We did post a link to our survey. We did receive over 800 responses already, on our website, of people who provided input (6:00 mark of this video).
DAMON BARONE: 800 responses is less than 2 percent of the total student population (parents with students). Even if every two students only had one parent in each household 800 responses would only be less than 4 percent of parent responses of this community.
DAMON BARONE: My concern is, what about the parent notifications? I noticed that the parent notifications kind of dropped off towards the end of the year, and I know that covid didn’t just disappear. Also, as far as the cross notifications of students, for example I may have a student that goes to the CTE [center] but I only get the notifications for Taylor High School, but Taylor, Hastings, and Elsik go to the CTE so there may be a case of Covid 19 that happens at Hastings that I don’t get notified of. And also, cross contamination of busses. Multiple busses throughout the year you all had a shortage of bus staff so they were picking up multiple schools, and so there was cross contamination there, and I did not receive any notifications from any other schools (10:14 mark of this video).
DAMON BARONE: I have a concern about the public comment portion. When you can answer that. First you are asking me to respond online. So, if we are utilizing, the district of innovation, why is the meeting not broadcasted on online for community members who can’t take off from work, or have to watch their kids, to participate in this meeting if we can respond online? The second thing is that the agenda was not posted online. I had to come to the administration building on a Friday or a Thursday, 72 hours before the meeting in order to find out that the meeting is taking place. I don’t feel that that is equitable to our community. You are asking us to use technology but you are not using technology. You are asking us to be engaged but you are not providing the information to us. There was no call out, there was no email, nothing posted on the district’s website. So that is inequitable in my opinion to our community if you are wanting our feedback on something as important as the health and safety of our kids and staff (17:09 mark of the video).
ALIEF ISD: Well, our meeting was posted the website. That’s just on the home page, the Alief ISD home page. I actually just took a screen shot of it again today just for documentation purposes. And this is not considered a normal board meeting so we did not have to, we are not required to post the agendas 72 hours before the board meeting (18:13 mark of the video).
DAMON BARONE: (So, basically the district once again did the legal limit (bare minimum) and put the notice up online in short proximity of the June 14, 2022 meeting which insured that no one would see the agenda in time to attend, then the district took screen shots of the agenda being posted on the districts website (with no time stamp of when it was posted) to submit the screen shot to TEA with their ESSR III funds requirements to ensure the district gets the funding and credit for the community meeting.
DAMON BARONE: Right but if you wanted our participation, it kind of would be important, and then my concern is that we go one place for the agendas, and then I would have never thought to go back and look in a separate place for an agenda here, or an update there, so just more uniformity. I mean if we want more participation in the board meetings, we want more participation in meetings like this make it easy for us. Just like you would want to make it easier on you all (18:30 mark of this video).
DAMON BARONE: The QR Code for community feedback is not posted or shared online, if individuals were not able to attend the in-person meeting they do not have an opportunity to pose their questions or concerns.