The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Board of Education held a Special Meeting on August 22 at 5 p.m. In attendance were Board President Kathy Gebhardt, Vice President Lisa Sweeney-Miran, Treasurer Nicole Rajpal, Richard Garcia, Kitty Sargent, Beth Niznik, Stacey Zis. Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson also attended.

This meeting focused on BVSD’s attendance policy and practices. Assistant Superintendent Robbyn Fernandez presented to the Board.

Fernandez said that, in general, attendance trends are still lower than they were pre-pandemic. This is a trend that is nation-wide. This year schools in BVSD are incorporating attendance data and interventions with their Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The intent is that this will identify students with attendance concerns early. This way advocates and support teams can help students and families. BVSD is looking to be proactive instead of reactive when students struggle to come to school.

Other concerns are the definition of “tardy” and what that means for work completion and discipline, consistency in absence practices by school, definition of tardy vs absent, and use of discretion to waive absences.

Many questions and comments were made by members of the Board. Some of these comments were their experiences with the policy as parents of students in the district. Board Member Garcia asked for data on disproportionality and attendance in BVSD.

Board President Gebhardt expressed that she wants Dr. Anderson and his team and the Board to move quickly on revising this flawed policy. She said, “I would like to see us jump on this.”

Dr. Anderson appreciates the Board’s passion and concern on this issue for the students and families. They will plan another work session and “roll up their sleeves and get to work.”

The Special Meeting was adjourned.

After a short break the Board met for their Regular Meeting with all Board Members in attendance. The meeting began with the BVSD Land Acknowledgement and Mission Statement.

Superintendent Dr. Anderson gave his Superintendent Report where he announced that the district will be hosting an event on October 11, from 5 - 8 p.m. titled BVSD is the Place to Be Showcase. It will be held at the CU Events Center. It is for anyone who wants to see all that is happening at all BVSD schools.

Next on the agenda was the Back to School Update. The Superintendent’s Leadership Team reported to the Board. BVSD has 28,358 students, 56 schools, 4,300 employees, they expect to serve 3 million meals this school year, they cover 500 square miles, and their 2023 - 2024 budgeted expenditures is $724 million.

Chief Information Officer Frank Elmore reported that IT has replaced 7.2 miles of fiber optics for Nederland schools. The fiber optics cables used in Nederland are better suited for the harsh winter weather.

The next presentation covered Safety, Security, & Emergency Services in BVSD. BVSD has a multi-dimensional approach to school safety. This approach includes: Positive school culture, hardware/software, security personnel, physical security, community partnerships, staff training and exercises, and emergency management.

Every school has a school safety advocate (SSA) assigned to them. Every SSA goes to a few schools. The Board knows there is always work to be done, but they are very pleased with the work of the safety, security, and emergency service personnel.

The Board continued by approving all Action Items in a consent grouping. The details of the Action Items can be found at https://go.boarddocs.com/co/bvsd/ Board.nsf/Public.

The BVSD Board meeting was then adjourned.

To read more details of BVSD Board of Education meetings you can view the meeting agendas at https://go.boarddocs.com/co/bvsd/ Board.nsf/Public. Board meetings are livestreamed and can be viewed at BV22. The direct link is https:// bv22. viebit.com/ player_ live. php? hash= 0622f51b- 2efa- 4f4c- 8424-8c23ee51b653. The BVSD Board of Education meetings are held at 6500 East Arapahoe Road, Boulder, Colorado. The Board meets every second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m.

The Board will be holding a Regular Meeting on September 12, 2023, at 6 p.m.