Running head: SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 1

School Board Meeting

Rebecca Frazier

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 210

3 December 2016
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 2

School Board Meeting

The school board meeting that I watched was held on Thursday, November 10, 2016. Dr.

Linda Young, the president/District C representative, lead the meeting. Concerned individuals

who are part of the CCSD community, such as students, teachers, and parents, spoke about

various topics they have experienced or witnessed at their schools. They are letting their voices

be heard, in hopes of raising awareness of important issues, and creating change. By speaking

out to the board, all individuals were exercising their freedom of speech right, as stated in the

First Amendment of the Constitution. Issues such as school closures, zoning and the

accessibility to schools, school policies and neglect, and school expansion were discussed.

The first speaker that came up was Mike Tack, a sixth grade English teacher at John C.

Freemont Middle School. He discussed the issue of Freemonts potential school closure. This

potential closure was announced without input from the community or consideration of the

teacher program. A publication of the teacher program was provided to the school board, so that

the school could be better understood. Also, signed petitions from state holders to halt the plan

to close the school was provided. Concerns of equity are brought up, as well as zoning impacts.

Parents and community members are feeling excluded from this decision. Tack asks that the

board consider this issue, and to allow parents and everyone else affected into the conversation.

He asked that the notice be provided in mail, in both English and Spanish to the families

affected.

The issue of potentially closing this middle school was addressed in an appropriate, legal

way. Mr. Tack, a teacher, has the right to express his concerns about school related subjects as

long as the speech is not disruptive. His expression counts as protected speech because he is

speaking about matters of public concern. A matter of public concern includes comments on
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administrative or board action on general issues of management and policy (Underwood, J. &

Webb, L., 2006, p. 49). It is his right to express dissatisfaction, and request for consideration.

The second speaker was Sylvia Rodriguez, a former student at Freemont Middle School.

She explained that Freemont offered her support that her parents could not offer her. Freemont is

made up of students who are economically at a disadvantage. This is understood by staff.

Students are given the help they need with their struggles. She discussed the kindness and

compassion that the staff have for all of its students. She said that getting rid of this school

would put students at a disadvantage because they would have to wake up earlier and travel

farther, to a different middle school, which would put a strain on families.

Sarah Day was the third speaker. She is majoring in Education at UNLV. She observed

at Freemont Middle School. Ms. Day explained that the staff make the school a second home for

their students. The accessibility of the school was discussed. Keeping the school open allows

for working parents to easily be involved because the school is so close to families homes. She

asked that they make the decision to try and save this school because it is the right thing to do.

The issue that Ms. Rodriguez and Ms. Day expressed, about zoning and the accessibility

to the school, could relate to affirmative action. Affirmative action is a strategy that involves

taking steps to promote diversity in schools (Underwood, J. & Webb, L., 2006, p. 188).

Especially with economic inequality among schools, race can correlate. Attendance zones may

be set, to maximize the likelihood of racial diversity (Underwood, J. & Webb, L., 2006, p.

189). Freemonts closure could be put into effect because of a desire to diversify the school,

economically and/or racially.

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The fourth speaker was Samuel Arosco, a parent of a child who attended Schoolfield

Middle School. His son had an accident at one of the school sites. A teacher refused his son the

right to use the restroom on multiple occasions. His son urinated in his pants because of this.

Mr. Arosco is disturbed and outraged at what his son had to go through. He has moved his

children out of that school district, to a school that has better policies. Similar cases are

happening in other schools throughout the country. He asks that parents and school board

members care about and address this issue.

What Mr. Aroscos child had experienced was child neglect. Child neglect is defined as

a failure to provide for a childs basic needs (Underwood, J. & Webb, L., 2006, p. 80). The

urge to use the restroom is a basic need that was denied to his son. As a result, his child urinated

in his pants, and most likely experienced feelings of extreme humiliation and trauma. It is a

teachers responsibility, while the teacher has students in their care, to make sure that a childs

needs are being met, whether those needs are physical, medical, educational, or emotional in

nature (Underwood, J. & Webb, L., 2006, p. 80).

A teacher at Rancho High School, Robert Coles, spoke next. The main issue that he

discussed is that there are thousands of students who are taught in portable classrooms, including

his students. He said that there is a need to expand some facilities. He also pointed out that most

of the schools that have many portable classrooms are school that occupy mostly students of

color. He said that the portable classrooms currently need improvement, and are not equal in

quality to the classrooms located in the school. He asked that the issue of the portable

classrooms be addressed.

Mr. Cole brought up one possible solution to the issue of having too many portable

classrooms. He expressed that there is a need to expand the school. In some cases, the last
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clause of the Fifth Amendment becomes relevant, in order to do this. The state or school system

can try to gain private property for school purposes, exercising eminent domain. This power

may want to be exercised when a school district is trying to gain property to enlarge a school

if it has not been able to negotiate a voluntary purchase of the needed property (Underwood, J.

& Webb, L., 2006, p. 5). Gaining property to expand Mr. Coles school would eliminate the need

to have portable classrooms, which would create a better learning environment for students and a

better working environment for teachers.

References
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Clark County School District. (2016). Retrieved from http://tv.ccsd.net/watch?v=5Rg1PcbnJUEi

Underwood, J. & Webb, L. (2006). Legal Framework for the Public Schools. In D. Stollenwerk
(Ed.). School Law for Teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.