At the start of the meeting, Hough Elementary Student Molly Smithberg won the #BReal challenge on her report to the Board of Education. Through the program, she has learned the important skills of honesty and responsibility.
To kick off the agenda, the board approved the lease that allowed for technology such as workstations and monitors to be given to Project Lead the Way and architecture labs at BHS. These machines will be refreshed every five years to make sure they are up to date as possible.
The key topic discussed at the meeting was the recent phone policy of “Be Here, Be Now, Be Engaged,” and the various student and staff reactions towards it.
Students have generally viewed the new policy as a positive, as based on a survey conducted by the district. According to the survey, at least 86% of students said that the policy encouraged more student engagement and collaboration. The staff agrees as well, as they reported over 95% of improvement.
Student off-task behavior has also decreased according to the survey, with the staff reporting that around 90% of students are off task either less or about the same as last year.
In terms of the usage of resources such as YouTube, the Board encourages using alternatives such as Edpuzzle; however, there have been issues with it. The Board is planning to provide ongoing support to staff to make sure they are fully capable of using the required technology.
In regards to the removal of Quizlet and other apps, the Board responded that the reason for removal was due to the owner company of Quizlet refusing to cooperate with the Student Online Personal Protection Act. Therefore, the Board had to remove the app to align with the requirements of the law.
There is a way to request the addition of certain apps that can be submitted to the Board. These apps are then reviewed to see if they align with the policies of District 220.
With the feedback from the surveys that were recently administered across District 220, the Board intends to take steps towards providing support to staff and implementing clearer expectations regarding devices for students.
