Regular Meeting

October 13, 2021

The Lexington Board of Education met in regular session in the Lexington High School auditorium on Wednesday, October 13, 2021. Mr. Keith Stoner, Vice- President, called the meeting to order.

Roll was called by the Treasurer.

Roll Call – Members present: Dr. Martin Gottschling, Mr. Dave Roberts, Mr. Keith Stoner, Mr. Rob Schuster, ----4 Absent: Mr. Robert Whitney ----1

VISITORS / COMMUNICATIONS / RECOGNITIONS

Mr. Stoner welcomed visitors to the meeting and noted that visitors would be recognized after the Student Rep Report. Mr. Stoner asked all visitors to remain respectful of others and not interrupt anyone who wishes to address the Board.

Student Representative Report

Student Representative Evan Matney provided the Board with an update regarding various activities throughout the District, including the following:

Clubs and Student Activities

• LEO Club – LEO Club is working at Wayne’s Country Market doing face painting. They are looking forward to putting on the haunted house in the library. They have many plans and new additions in the works for their haunted house.

• French Club – French Club met after school Friday, September 24th. Leaders are Arianna Morris and Gwen Smith. They introduced themselves and the organization of French Club, explained dues and they played a game called “So you think you know France?” Surprisingly, a student who is not currently studying French won the game!

They also introduced some Halloween vocab and played Charades. The next meeting will be Friday, October 22nd.

• Crochet Club – During the Club Fair in September, there was some interest in bringing back the Crochet Club. They meet on Fridays before school. For their first meeting, members received information about the best crochet hook size & type of yard for beginners. They also practices making a foundational chain. At the second meeting, they ‘graduated’ from making the chain to actually building a small sample of Single Crochet Stitch. There are currently 6 students and a couple of staff members interested in the club.

• Key Club – Key Club has had a great turnout at meetings and gaining a number of new members. They are excited for a productive and beneficial year ahead. Last week they began taking part in a mentoring program with our students and younger children at the Friendly House, through Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring. They will be starting a fundraiser with Stoller Fundraising selling baked goods at the beginning of November. They also look forward to helping with Haunted Hallways this month.

• Math Club – Math Club will meet Tuesday, October 12th, to begin participation in the Ohio Math League.

• National Honor Society – NHS is feeding the high school teachers during Tuesday’s conferences. The NHG Induction Ceremony has been scheduled for Sunday, November 7th, at 2:30 pm NHS members will also be helping with the Spitzer Dodge Carnival on Saturday, October 26th. NHS will have a Holiday Plant Sale from October 15th through October 29th and will be helping with the Adam Schuster Memorial Soccer Tournament on October 29th through October 31st.

• Academic Challenge – Academic Challenge held tryouts last week and will begin practicing on Friday, October 15th.

• Homecoming – This past weekend we celebrated homecoming at the high school. This year’s court included Natalie Dininger, Maya Hatfield, Lydia Giefer, Ava Perkins, and Allison Reed. We held a ceremony during school and announced Allison Reed as the queen. The dance was held in our courtyard on Saturday, October 9th, with between 620 - 650 students attending.

• Music – The Band of Gold qualified Saturday, October 2nd for the OMEA State Finals at their first competition. The Band of Gold has qualified every year since 1987, and it is always a big accomplishment for the group. They are currently scheduled to perform at the Finals on Saturday, October 30th, at 12:30 pm. In addition, they have two double headers coming up the next two Saturdays.

Athletics

• Boys’ Soccer is ranked 6th in the State and sitting at a record of 9-1-4. They will play their last regular season game on Thursday here at home vs. Granville. They have earned the #1 seed and will play Tiffin Columbian at home to start the soccer

tournament. They also have 9 shutouts this year.

• Girls’ soccer is 6-8 having played several Division 1 Schools. Lady Lex earned the #4 seed and will play at home on Saturday, October 23rd in the Sectional Final game against Perkins.

• Volleyball is 8-11 and will be having Senior Night when they play New Philadelphia.

The girls earned the #6 seed and will play at home next Tuesday against Norwalk.

• This past weekend the girls’ cross country team won the Marion Invitational and the boys finished 2nd. This Saturday, both teams will be competing at the OCC Cross Country Tournament at Wooster, and they will begin their postseason competition next Saturday at Galion in the Sectionals.

• Boys’ Golf has advanced to the District Golf Tournament after they finished 4th at the Sectionals.

• Girls’ Golf has been playing very well and they won the girls’ Sectional Golf Tournament where Hannah Smith was 1st overall, and Lainey Kathrein was 2nd overall.

• Girls’ Tennis competed in the Sectional Tournament this past weekend. Gracie Pfieffer and Jade Adkins advanced to the District Tournament in singles and Kylie Diehl and Evie Hostetler advanced in doubles.

• Football is wrapping up their season. They travel to Madison this week and finish at home vs. River Valley.

Public Comments

A number of visitors address the Board for public comment:

Visitor #1 – Inquired about chemicals used in the Kindergarten or Pre-K rooms. She noted that another district looked into chemicals and were not allowed to use the chemicals they were using. Mr. Secrist indicated the District would look into the chemicals that are used.

Visitor #2 – Addressed critical comments mentioned at the last meeting to students. Other districts have mission statements and core values and include in their teaching in the classroom. Mistake to exclude virtue from the teaching of children. We challenge our students to make positive contributions.

Move to adopt a set of core values that support the mission. He also volunteered to organize some of the research.

Visitor #3 – Spoke last month. Number of students had issues dealing with racial conflict at school.

Opposed to a response that makes them victims. Asked if the District has a policy on CRT. Mr. Secrist indicated we do not teach it. We also do not have a policy. Visitor #3 noted he does not want the Board to jeopardize stability. Does not want his grandchildren labeled as victims. Also, addressed social emotional learning, noting he is very familiar with this topic. Method employed using shame, intimidation, and peer pressure to take values out of the hands of parents and put them in the hands of the State. Saw this first hand in China and it’s a very dangerous approach. Asked the Board to study this and put some safeguards in place to protect students and educate teachers.

Visitor #4 – Has not seen anything recently about internet safety. She noted Ontario had an individual (Jessie Weinberger) come in and teach about internet safety. Shocked at the topics that were covered and where things can be hidden on the internet.

Visitor #5 – Thanked the Board for the difficult decisions that they have to make. He noted he believes in science. He has a great deal of respect for Lexington Schools and moved to Lexington Schools after his wife passed away and school did an amazing job ensuring his kids were well taken care of and safe. Thanked the Board for keeping students safe and putting them first.

Visitor #6 – Asked the Board to reconsider the masking of kids. She has four kids in the District. Noted her family has fallen in love with this District. They have always trusted the Board to make good decisions for the kids. She noted she kept kids home when sick and made good decisions for her kids. The Board took choice away from her when making the decision to mask all kids. Her 2nd grader has gone from loving school to not being able to see teacher’s face. Parents deserve the opportunity to make the decision for their own kids.

Visitor #7 – Asked the Board to reconsider the mask mandate. Four children in the District. None of their children want to wear them. Two students have anxiety issues. Board does not deserve to choose what his children have to wear as a medical device, noting they are a faith over fear family. He also noted we also have natural immunity that is better protection than the vaccine provides. Masks are preventing the immune systems from working properly. COVID-19 works better to infect individuals with reduced oxygen, and it’s a prime breeding ground when wearing a mask. He noted the mask requirement infringes on freedom of choice as a parent and should not be the decision of the Board.

Visitor #8 – Noted that she pulled a variety of items from the ODE website for the “Whole Child Framework”. Mr. Secrist clarified that the Board has no intention to use the Whole Child Framework that is on the ODE website. Mr. Secrist also noted our job as educators to educate the whole child. Action steps to reach goals that are part of our core values. Wants the Board to understand that this is going to be a year-long effort with communication with students, staff and administrators. Visitor noted she appreciates that we look at the whole child, but educators are to serve the community and and parents should not relinquish rights to educators. Parents right to make the best medical decisions for their kids. Visitor asked the Board how long they wear a mask throughout the day noting students have to wear masks for 8 hours.

Visitor #9 – Inquired as to the policy for letting teachers know that students in the classroom are on IEP’s, noting it took six weeks for her son’s teacher to know that her son was on an IEP. She noted her son is in 4th grade at Central Elementary. Mr. Secrist noted that there is communication between the Special Education team and the classroom teacher. He indicated he would follow up with the building principal on this issue.

Visitor #10 – Noted he works in Clear Fork Schools, and they started the year with a mask optional policy which has worked wonderfully. Numbers have gone up and down, but he indicated the great thing about America is that we have freedom of choice and it boils down to freedom of decision. Of the students in his classroom, 30% wear masks while 70% do not. He indicated it should be left in the parent’s hands as it is at Clear Fork where it is working well.

Visitor #11 – Spoke last month. Based on the recent article in the Mansfield News Journal, she is very excited about the numbers going down. She indicated we should not jump the gun on removing masks. She also provided the Board with data on cases throughout the State of Ohio. Downward trend but are higher than we were back in June. Mr. Schuster asked what the population is in the State of Ohio. Mr. Schuster indicated that the 5,399 is not a significant number when compared with the population of the State of Ohio. Visitor indicated we’re looking at increases and decreases when reviewing the data, noting numbers are trending downward but are still much higher than they’ve been at other points throughout the year. She indicated it is too early to remove masks in the school environment.

Visitor #12 – Noted she has a 7th grader and 2nd grader at Lexington. She thanked the Board for making a decision to protect students and staff, which has allowed students to remain in the building and allowed teachers to continue to teach. Parents have been able to work while students remain in school. None of us want the masks to remain in place for a long-term solution, but to remove masks after one month would be a mistake. She also noted that for those seeking religious waivers for the masks, the Supreme Court has upheld that the masks are neutral and do not impede religious rights. This is about a health order to provide a safe learning environment for all students. We should all be thankful that the simple act of wearing a mask allows students to remain in the building.

Visitor #13 – Indicated she is pro-choice and not anti-mask. Added that she is the granddaughter of war veterans, and the Declaration of Independence states that we have certain inalienable rights; this is a freedom issue. We are not giving our children the right to breathe freely nor the parents the right to make decisions for their own children. Other places are packed with people not wearing masks. Asks the Board to allow parents to make decisions for their own children.

Visitor #14 – Noted she has a student at Eastern Elementary. Asks the Board to continue wearing masks. She noted we were only in school for a short 3-week period and were required to shut down. We owe it to our kids to remain in school. Very happy that her student is in a school setting. She also noted she is a clinical social worker and disagreed that social emotional learning is abusive to students. She noted she ran a program that introduced the 5 core principals of social emotional learning.

Visitor #15 – Noted she has 2 children at Western. Thanked the Board for making masks a requirement. She noted she has a Master’s Degree in science and to remove masks goes against the CDC and other science. She added she hopes that none of the other parents have to go through their children getting sick with COVID. Asked the Board to maintain the mask requirement until the younger children can get vaccinated and indicated that school districts with mask requirements are healthier and able to stay open.

Visitor #16 – Noted she is a Lexington graduate. She noted that new data out of Florida shows no significant difference between counties that masked and counties that did not mask. She added that with 11 million people in Ohio, 5,000 is about .05%. Also, added that research out of the University of Southern California infinitesimal benefits to stopping the virus but many other negative side effects of wearing the mast. Autistic children are having much more difficulty. She added there is a 99.9% survival rate for children. She noted that kids are very different when they have to have masks on and the atmosphere in the classroom has deteriorated since masking. She asked the Board to let parents make the decisions for their children.

Visitor #17 – Noted she has had 5 children come through the District. She noted she has concern with the Pfizer vaccine that is coming out for children over the age of 5 and asked Mr. Secrist if we are going to mandate the vaccine. Mr. Secrist indicated that we will not be mandating the vaccine. She added that a teacher scolded her grandchild for pulling down mask in class when her grandchild could not breathe. She added it is God-given right to breathe and asked the Board if they really care. Do not put this on parents and grandparents to mask their children and grandchildren.

Visitor #18 – Asked the Board to look into one specific piece of data, noting it’s approximately 50/50 on area schools having mask mandates and that districts show the very same data on student cases regardless of whether they have a mask mandate in place. He added that mixed masking actually shows the best results. He noted that people did not have masks on when he came to the Board Office. He also noted he asked the question about homecoming because students were dancing in close physical contact but were not masked. He also asked the Board if any were physicians. He also noted that it took 6-8 weeks for his classroom teacher to recognize that his student was on a 504.

Visitor #19 – Noted he is a junior at Lexington and that’s important to hear from a student perspective. He indicated he is constantly being told to pull mask up in hallways and that 75% of students are not wearing masks properly. He indicated that a teacher voted that he not be part of NHS for not wearing masks properly. He added that some teachers enforce and some don’t while some kids are told to wear it and some aren’t. He added that it should be the choice of the parents and believes numbers will continue to go up and down. He asked how many staff members had COVID when we were shut down. Mr. Secrist indicated the absence rate was 13% and the District had 20-21 staff members that were sick at the time we shut down.

Visitor #20 – Noted she is a teacher at Eastern Elementary. She noted regarding IEP and 504, as a teacher, she hears from Intervention Specialist to introduce the IEP or 504. She added there has been a transition in the Special Education Department and asked that parents have some grace for teachers. Regarding social and emotionally learning, she noted she dreams of the day to only teach about social studies or science. However, there are families that are not healthy and her job as an educator is to consider social-emotional well-being of students. Regarding masks, she noted her students are able to have mask breaks whenever they want. She noted she wants the kids in school however we can get there. She added that the teachers in the District care for their students.

Visitor #21 – Indicated that only 2 members of the Board have a medical background and they both voted against the mask requirement. He asked Mr. Secrist if this is a medical decision. Mr. Secrist indicated it’s for the health and safety of the children. The visitor indicated it bothers him that people are wearing masks when they don’t believe in it and that it’s disgusting that we’re putting masks on the kids. He noted that Ohio Stadium is filled at Buckeye games with no masks. He added the shutdown was more for faculty than kids. Indicated that it should be the parent’s choice and not the Board.

Visitor #22 – Noted she has 2 children in the District. She indicated there have been many mornings of fear and anxiety due to the mask requirement. She added she is worried about the long-term mental impact on her students and that children are not at risk. She asked the Board to not put the fear of adults on the shoulders of our children. She added there is very little mask compliance in our community and yet the numbers are going down. She noted she is also concerned about testing because masking causes anxiety during testing. She also added that we should not be ignoring the benefit of natural immunity. She noted the boxes that the masks are packaged in indicate that the mask does not stop the spread of COVID-19.

Visitor #23 – Noted she has 2 kids in the District currently. Wanted to say thank you for everything the Board has been going through and decisions that they have to make. Kids are missing out on seeing each other’s faces at school. Believes the masks should go back to optional so kids are able to see smiles on faces of their teachers and classmates.

Visitor #24 – Noted she is a teacher at Western. Addressed the parents in the audience regarding the parents in the audience regarding the planned no mask and walk out day that has been going around. She asked that they put themselves in the position of the teachers and it is a safety issue for the school to try to plan such a thing throughout the District.

Visitor #25 – Believes that we’re setting a terrible example for our children by trying to stage a protest using our sense of community seems to be missing. Noted their son has a disability and hopeful that he grows up to be a functional adult. They added that Ashland does not have a mask mandate and their numbers are growing. Concerned that we don’t know how to act as a community and added the Board will not make both sides happy but hopeful we can act like adults.

Visitor #26 – Noted he has a junior at Lexington and we’re all very passionate about what is best for our kids. Added that it’s an American institution to be able to debate. He added he has read about COVID and masks and has not seen a conclusive study that directly relates masks to the rise and fall of COVID. He added that numbers are the same across the country and worl regardless of masks and that there is no scientific proof for the validity of masks. He added there are plenty of studies about the psychological damage due to lockdowns and masks. He also noted that PCR tests are not the most reliable tests and we can’t always trust the tests. He added that other diseases and other morbidities are falling off the charts because everything is now attributed to COVID. He asked the Board to remove the masks from our kids.

Visitor #27 – Noted she is a 6th grade teacher at Eastern. She noted that prior to masks her classroom had a number of issues doe to COVID. She noted her classroom has had zero issues since the mask mandate was put in place. She indicated masks are keeping students in school where they need to be.

Visitor #28 – Noted she is a graduate of Lexington and moved back once she had kids. She noted we can discuss masks all day but the real concern is what is the threshold to determine these decisions. Mr. Stoner indicated that the Board is trying to find our way through this and it’s an evolving problem that we are trying to navigate through. The intent is to try and keep the schools open. He noted it is much different with COVID than it is with the seasonal flu as employees lost to COVID can be 2 weeks or more, which makes it difficult to keep the teachers in the classroom to educate our kids. Therefore, with COVID, this becomes a longer process. If we’re missing kids, while it’s difficult for the kids, families, and teacher, it’s much more difficult to function when we have significant numbers of staff out. Mr. Stoner indicated there is continuing coordination with the administrative team, but this is an evolving problem and challenge.

Visitor #29 – Noted she has a 1st grader at Western. Thanked the Board and teachers for all that they do and letting the parents have the opportunity to speak on behalf of their children. She added she believes the students should have the right to choose whether or not to wear a mask. She noted her daughter had trouble breathing but was afraid to mention it to the teacher. She noted her daughter does not get mask breaks and very concerned about her daughter. She requested that she not wear a mask the following week and her daughter is now wearing a shield that is distracting, fogs up, and is difficult to wear properly. She noted her daughter wants to be a graduate of Lexington like her father. She indicated she wants parents to make that medical decision for their children.

Visitor #30 – Asked the Board to consider the difficulty in determining getting the virus in the community vs. contracting it at school. If numbers are going down, when are we going to take them off and see if masks still work?

Visitor #31 – Asked what the numbers are when it comes to hospitalization or death of our students. None of the Board has these numbers and she asked what we’re protecting our kids from. She noted her children were kicked out of school at Central for not wearing a mask. She noted she spoke with Mr. Secrist trying to negotiate but everything was denied. Mr. Secrist asked that the students wear a mask or shield and comply like the other students in the classroom and they would return to the classroom. She noted we should be teaching our children to not conform. She asked the Board to please give rights back as parents and stop segregating children.

Visitor #32 – She noted that after the age of 18 the children of these parents get to be independent. She noted her brother has a disability and she’s concerned what his life will be like when parents dies and she dies. She asked that the Board make a decision that keeps the kids in school to have an education. She indicated she has concerns for brother and his ability to be educated to become independent.

Visitor #33 – Noted he has a sophomore at Lexington. He noted that masks don’t help but he didn’t bring the science because the Board doesn’t care about the science or we would have never had the masks to begin with. He noted it should be the freedom of the families to make these decisions for their children and added there is a growing wave to get those who vote for the mask mandate to be removed from the Board.

Visitor #34 – Noted she has 2 sets of twins and the older set is in kindergarten at Western. Thanked the Board for the mask mandate and asks the Board to uphold the policy as being able to return to school has been immensely beneficial to her kids. Regardless of whether it’s due to students or staff, we were unable to remain in school without the mask requirement. She added that there is significant stability and comfort to students when they are able to be in class and noted it is a small step to grab a clean mask when leaving in the morning. She indicated many parents have children who are not yet old enough to be vaccinated and that the American Medical Association and CDC both support masks in schools. She indicated the transition is as simple as putting on shoes or putting on a coat when it’s cold and that we are not there yet to remove this extra step of protection. She noted that it’s not always easy to do what’s right.

Visitor #35 – Noted he has 10 years of service in the military. He indicated that the entire U.S. Armed Forces are wearing masks right now. He asked the Board to do what is best for the children, whatever that decision may be. He added we can find any statistic that meets our agenda. He stressed that on a more important note he is concerned that a grown adult male was able to get into the junior high and snap pictures and nothing was done. He indicated the District needs to take steps to ensure that this does not happen again. Mr. Secrist and the Board indicated the necessary steps are being taken to address this situation.

Visitor #36 – Student at Lexington Schools and indicates that masks are useless. He noted he gets yelled at and sent to the office because he doesn’t have a mask on. He indicated it should be the students’ decision whether or not to wear masks.

Visitor #37 – Spoke earlier but wanted to add that it’s just a mask and there is more going on with the masks. Students are getting diseases, headaches, and experiencing skin issues. She noted she wears an N-95 at work and that students are not wearing N-95 masks. She added cloth masks offer minimal protection due to the size of the COVID particles. She noted that 2 hours of wearing a surgical mask builds bacteria and is unhealthy, and the masks used by students are worn for 8 hours a day for multiple days and is very unhealthy for the students. She noted that the psychological damage is also extremely important, and she’s afraid that her daughter is no longer going to love school.

Visitor #38 – Student asked why we take masks off in the cafeteria when students are very close to other students. He added that none of it makes any sense.

DISCUSSION – Review of Return to In-Person Learning / Facial Covering Requirement:

Mr. Secrist shared his report on what our experience has been over the past 3 weeks regarding the number of cases compared to the initial weeks of school, noting a decrease in absentee percentages and total number of weekly cases among students and staff.

Mr. Stoner stated for the record that he is very grateful to Mr. Secrist during these unprecedented times and difficult times for his leadership and professionalism, noting he has faced unfounded and unfair criticism. Mr. Stoner added that the goal is two-fold and very simple; to keep our students in school because that is where students learn best, and to keep students, staff and everyone who enters our District healthy. Mr. Stoner noted that Mr. Secrist and his team are providing leadership during a very difficult time and that decisions are always in the best interests of our students and our community.

Dr. Gottschling indicated that the Board needs to discuss what kind of threshold can be developed for masking, remote, etc. Mr. Secrist indicted we are continuing to have discussions due to the nuances from a building to building perspective. Cold and flu season is very different than COVID due to the length of time students and staff have to be out when they are COVID positive. Mr.

Secrist also noted there are discussions of creation options as to where this leads in the future. We will continue to survey the community to determine what the community is in favor of as we move forward with regards to hybrid learning and other creative options. Mr. Secrist indicated that hop is that by Spring this becomes something that we look at as an endemic, but the Administrative team is concerned about the January through March timeframe. Mr. Secrist added that a Matrix has been created for Special Ed students to ensure specific needs of each student are being met.

Mr. Schuster indicated that everything is not black and white so he’s been trying to compile data from other districts that have been as successful or more successful than we have. He noted the hope is to gather data to improve as a District.

Mr. Roberts shared that he was really disturbed with the news the student shared about NHS and asked Mr. Young and Mr. Masi to look into this issue. Mr. Roberts added that he voted the way he did last time because it seemed to work last year and we were able to remain in school and have a number of activities. He noted the number one priority is to keep students in school and keep them and the staff in school and safe. Mr. Roberts added that our staff is very good at what they do and it would be a shame to have to go back to remote or blended or anything other than in –person learning. Addressing the upcoming election brought up during the public comment portion, he noted the election in November and people have the right and are allowed to vote any way they would like.

MASK REQUIREMENT

59-21 Motion by Mr. Schuster, seconded by Dr. Gottschling, to lift the indoor mask requirement for students and staff.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Schuster, Dr. Gottschling----2 Nay: Mr. Roberts, Mr. Stoner----2 Absent: Mr. Whitney ----1 Motion failed.

FINANCIAL ITEMS

60-21 Motion by Mr. Schuster, seconded by Mr. Roberts to approve the following financial items: 1. The minutes from the September regular meeting and October special meeting were approved.

2. The monthly financial report for September 2021 was presented.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Schuster, Mr. Roberts, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Stoner, ----4 Nay: None ----0 Absent: Mr. Whitney ----1 Motion adopted.

PERSONNEL

61-21 Motion by Mr. Schuster, seconded by Dr. Gottschling to approve the following personnel items:

Certified:

Employment: Approved the employment of the following:

Brandon Chambers - Substitute teacher for the 2021-2022 school year

Approved payment to the following teachers for mentoring teachers during the 2021 – 2022 school year:

Year 1

Amy Gerhardt - mentoring Bruce Dewey $350.00

Amy Gerhardt - mentoring Reanna Sutherland $350.00

Jaime Chambers - mentoring Lydia Smith $350.00

Year 2

Amy Gerhardt - mentoring Jennifer Verspoor $250.00

Year 3

Jaime Chambers - mentoring Laura Hoesman $250.00

Year 4

Joy Bowman - mentoring Tina Parr n/a

Joy Bowman - mentoring Hayley Davis n/a

Maternity Leave: Approved Val Fraizer’s request for maternity leave from approximately November 14, 2021 to approximately mid to end of January 2022.

Classified:

Employment: Approved the employment of the following:

Amanda Addington - Food Service, 2-hour general help at Eastern, contract for remainder of 2021-2022 school year, effective September 20, 2021

Cheryl Rose - Food Service substitute, effective September 20, pending successful completion of pre-employment requirements

Brenda Mack - Transportation, two-hour van driver, contract for remainder of 2021-2022 school year, effective September 22, 2021, pending successful completion of pre-employment requirements

Tabitha Dawson - Substitute educational aide, pending successful completion of pre-employment requirements

Hannah Price - Food Service & substitute educational aide, effective September 28, 2021, pending successful completion of pre-employment requirements

Heather Brauchler - Food Service sub, effective October 1, 2021, pending successful completion of pre-employment requirements

Hanna Pinkelman - Substitute educational aide

Kailee Worges - Technology Technician, contract for the remainder of the 2021–2022 school year, pending successful completion of pre-employent requirements

OTHER BUSINESS:

Coaching Recommendations: Approved the following coaches for 2021-2022:

Jay Porter - Volunteer assistant, boys’ soccer

Kayla Duryea - Volunteer assistant, junior high cross country

Nate Temple - Volunteer assistant, wrestling

Seth Cole - Volunteer assistant, wresting

Substitute List: Approved the revised Lexington substitute list, dated September 15, 2021, as presented by MOESC.

Grocery, Bread and Dairy Bid: Approved the grocery, bread and food bids through META Coop for the 2021–2022 school year.

Resolution to Establish Educational Requirements for Substitute Teachers for the 2021 – 2022 School Year: Approved that the Board establish flexible educational requirements for substitute teachers, per Senate Bill 1, for the 2021-2022 school year.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Schuster, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Stoner----4 Nay: None ----0 Absent: Mr. Whitney ----1 Motion adopted.

DISCUSSION: Educating the “Whole Child”:

Mr. Secrist indicated he wanted to clarify that DEI is a smaller part of a larger goal to review our curriculum and resources used throughout the District to ensure we are educating the entire child and that we are supporting our students from a curriculum standpoint. He noted we wanted to ensure we make use of PBIS to assist in the process. He noted we want to use counselors, SRO, and other resources to support our mission so they leave here feeling better about themselves and ready for the world. Mr. Secrist noted that he wanted to make it clear to the Board that this is an involved process that will take time to determine what the steps are that we need to take to improve our culture. Mr. Schuster indicated that the concern that most people see these acronyms and want to ensure that CRT does not slip into our District. Mr. Schuster noted he does not want CRT to be any part of our school district.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY

62-21 Motion by Mr. Schuster, seconded by Dr. Gottschling, that Critical Race Theory will never be part of Lexington curriculum.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Schuster, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Stoner ----4 Nay: None -----0 Absent: Mr. Whitney -----1 Motion adopted.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

63-21 Motion by Mr. Stoner, seconded by Dr. Gottschling to enter into executive session to consider the discipline or compensation of a public employee, negotiations, and to discuss details relative to the security arrangements and emergency response protocols for a public body.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Stoner, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Schuster, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Stoner----4 Nay: None ----0 Absent: Mr. Whitney -----1 Motion adopted.

Time entered: 10:00 p.m.

Returned to regular session: 11:10 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT

64-21 Motion by Mr. Roberts, seconded by Mr. Schuster to adjourn. 11:11 p.m.

Roll Call – Yea: Mr. Roberts, Mr. Schuster, Dr. Gottschling, Mr. Stoner----4 Nay: None -----0 Absent: Mr. Whitney -----1 Motion adopted.

Certificate Section 5705.412, Ohio Revised Code

It is hereby certified that the Lexington Local School District Board of Education, Richland County, Ohio, has sufficient funds to meet the contract agreement, obligation, payment or expenditure for the above, and has in effect for the remainder of the fiscal year and succeeding fiscal year the authorization to levy taxes which, when combined with the estimated revenue from all other sources available to the district at the time of certification, are sufficient to provide operating revenues necessary to enable the district to operate an adequate educational program on all days set forth in its adopted school calendar for the current fiscal year and for a number of days in the succeeding fiscal year equal to the number of day’s instruction was or is scheduled for the current fiscal year.

Treasurer_________________________________

President__________________________________

Superintendent _____________________________