Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee - Regular Meeting

All right, welcome to the academics innovation evaluation tech and technology committee meeting for September 3 2025. And i'll call to order the committee meeting before we get started i'd like to state the committee membership, the Members are Dr Dorothy Ben draws men to go committee chair she's unable to make it today, and so, as committee vice chair, I will be. directing the meeting. We have as member as well, Dr. Steve Gallen III, Mr. Robert J. Alonzo, and Mr. Danny Espino as alternate member, as well as Ms. Santos. Our first order of today's business is to approve the committee meeting minutes of August 6, 2025. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes? Move it. Thank you. All in favor? Do you have a second? Second. A second? Okay. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. All right, we now move on to the agenda items, starting with the H items. Going to have a motion to move them to the floor.

Move it.

Thank you. The first item, H9, is my item, the school board endorsement of the month of October 2025 as college application month in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. I first brought that item. I want to say this will be now the third year that I bring this item forward. The college application process continues every year to become more... grueling for our students, the admissions process much more selective every year, and so this item is looking to recognize and encourage our students to apply as early as possible, giving them the greatest opportunity for acceptance. Any comments or, Chair Rojas, you recognize?

Yes, thank you so much. Board Member Blanco, this is a wonderful item. I fully support it. I want to co-sponsor. I have a grandson that's going through this process right now, and it is a very, very, very important time of year for those seniors that are going through this. So thank you so much for emphasizing it and bringing it forth. because I think it'll make a huge difference. Thank you so much, and at the proper time, again, I'll like to co-sponsor. Thank you.

Thank you. A motion for co-sponsorships?

Move it.

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were... Co-sponsoring already. Before we do that, Ms. Santos, did you have comments before the co-sponsorship?

Yeah, I mean, it'll be very quick through the chair. I just want to thank you for the item because I think this is such important work, and the more we can all continue to bring it to the forefront, these pathways of higher education are still the best possibility toward the American dream and for our families to find that economic mobility and success. And so we want to expand all options, but helping our students who want to go to college get there remains so important. Thank you for highlighting it.

Thank you. And it really just is crazy. Just I want to say 10 years ago before I started, less than 10 years ago, I started this. The first applications weren't due until November 1st, November 15th. and now we have some as early as October 15th. So these students have barely a month once they get going with school to get everything finalized. So thank you, thank you all for your support. We got the co-sponsorship, so now move the item to the board as amended, to the board meeting. Can I get a motion? Second. Second. All in favor? Aye. Okay. Next item is item H10, board member Geller. He's not here.

I would like to move then to move it without recommendation because there's no one here.

Right. Present it. Okay.

You got a second, a motion and a second. Can I get a second? You have it. You got all the nods, everyone.

Okay. All in favor? All in favor? Aye. Thank you. All right. Item H13 is Board Member Vandross-Mindingle's item. She's not able to be here, but she left me some talking points. Did I skip H11? H11.

I am so sorry. Yes.

And that's Dr. Steve Gallin's item, right? He's going to present. Go ahead, Mr. Gallin, present your item.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. This item is addressing competency-based education, exploring innovative strategies regarding requirements for seat time. For those of you who have been examining the educational landscape at the local, state, and national level, this has been something that has actually been reflected in state statutes some years ago. So this is a process and a practice that is widely embraced. For Miami-Dade County Public Schools, that stands at the forefront of innovation. Most recently, our receipt of a national award for magnet schools and innovation. I think this continues to provide incentives for our students and families, provides an opportunity to accelerate matriculation. It also provides an opportunity for us to expand educational options, creates models that recognizes that families and students in this competitive market space are looking for things that do not reflect a one size fits all And again, it reinforces some of the tremendous successes that we've had in our dual enrollment program. So looking at this as an option in Miami-Dade County Public Schools through an intentional lens will provide an opportunity to expand and widen our menu of educational options that reflect that innovation, that reflect that contemplation for individualized instruction. And again, allows every student the opportunity to move at their own pace. It also has some benefits from an instructional and fiscal standpoint, which have been recognized throughout the country, but I think this is a tremendous opportunity for us to embrace CBE as an option in our portfolio at Miami-Dade County Public Schools. And with the support of the superintendent, their due diligence, and bringing this information back to the board, we can look at how we can accelerate this opportunity for our students and families. This has been something that has been at the forefront. Again, referencing the item that, in fact, the state of Florida actually provided a framework for this going to that in 2016. The legislature embraced this as a viable consideration and options. And in this act, of SS103.4996 for selected school districts. The incorporation of CBE is currently reflected in rules adopted by the State Board of Education. And there's also a condition for several career technical education federal grants. So again, this is something that is reflected at the local, state, and national level. And this is the item if you have any further questions. Thank you.

Any questions or comments?

Thank you very much. And Dr. Gallin, thank you for bringing this item forth. Every time we bring an item that has to deal with the educational component for our students, the curriculum, which is so critically important, I'm absolutely thrilled about. I just wanted to ask you, I recall, we used to have, as you know, the competency-based curriculum in the 1990s, I believe it was at that time under Octavio Viciedo. Can you just, for the listening public, I read your item, so I understand what the difference is, but can you just, or someone from staff, can they just explain the difference between the competency-based curriculum and the one that we have in front of us, which is great because I saw the part about the seat time and everything else. But just for the sake of those that are listening that might not be familiar, if someone could explain that, that would be great.

You know, I write my items. I'll respond first to my item, and staff can add to it. Great question through the chair. The distinction is you're asking between CBC and CBE. CBC was obviously a curriculum that was available throughout the district. It did not contemplate seat time. It made sure that students were able to demonstrate competency. If you want to make CBC analogous to what we have right now, it's analogous to proficiency. Our students are competent in a particular area of the curriculum. So right now we deal with proficiency. CBE deals with this whole notion of seat time, that a student does not have to be bound or restricted based on a certain amount of time they have to spend. We do have provisions for seat time, and this provides an opportunity for that to be examined and looked at if a student can demonstrate competency. We always wonder how we read these reports about students at the age of 14 entering Yale University, because they immediately demonstrated competency, making that analogous to proficiency, to grade level content. So why restrict me to 180 days in the third grade when I've already mastered third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, and I've demonstrated mastery of that particular content, those grade level elements that I have to be able to demonstrate proficiency in so I'm able to alleviate that and move and matriculate further. So that's the major distinction. And Mr. Superintendent, you may want to augment what I said and I don't know if Ms. Diaz wants to add as well. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the question.

Thank you, and thank you through the chair for your response, because that does give us more flexibility for innovation and implementation, without a doubt. I don't know why I thought that when we had CBC, they were still also able to proceed accordingly, but I guess during those days, they weren't. It's been a long time, 1990, so just 30 years, that's okay. So, Mr. Superintendent. Mr. Superintendent, go ahead.

Yes. Madam Chair, thank you. All I can do is add to Dr. Gallin. So what was done in the past is typically the replacement of the report card ABCDF to a report card that showed progress in terms of mastery. This goes beyond. When you talk about individualized instruction and being able to provide adaptive tools for students to go at their own pace, that's what this is about. When I read it, to me it's almost like the school of the future. We talk about individualized instruction. We talk about it. This kind of encapsulates it all. That is my interpretation, Dr. Gallin. But with my experience, it was always about replacing the report card, not using letter grades, but using progress points. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

I'll follow up what the superintendent said, but I think what I deferred.

No, that's fine. I think, okay, Board Member Alonso and then Vice Chair Caligi.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Dr. Gallant, for bringing this so important item. It's almost like you were at the consortium last week also listening to our conversations because it was something that came up on seat time. You know, education is evolving and we all want further innovation. We want to provide our students and their families with choices as to what is their best route. Education is no longer a one-size-fits-all. It's an individualized product that's going to be given to students now. So this item furthers that work in really truly being able to offer all of our students with that individualized education plan that's going to fit the mold that's for them. So I applaud you for bringing this item. I think it's going to help our academics team continue to evolve the way in which we're delivering education to our students, and it's probably going to impact schools across the entire state to be able to have this flexibility as well if we can be a loud enough advocate with all the work that we do. So thank you so much, and I look forward to hearing back from staff on how we can work this and how we can find creative ways to implement it. At the appropriate time, I'd like to co-sponsor.

Madam Vice Chair, you had some comments?

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. And Dr. Gallin, I like this item a lot as a teacher. I think that the more individualized we make our instruction for our students, the more they can reach their potential. And that's what really and truly as educators we need to do. We need to facilitate them. I love the fact that you had data in there that said the Department of Education has highlighted CBE as an approach capable of narrowing achievement gaps by preventing students from advancing without true understanding. I'm always all about narrowing that achievement gap, which is so critical, especially in our district, and doing so in a way that allows our students to reach their potential. And Madam Chair, you gave me a flashback to CBC, competency-based curriculum. That was the new thing when I came in. I started teaching in the 90s. dating myself here, but that's, yes, the competency-based curriculum. But I do, I'm in full support of this item, and I would be interested to see some research, or if there's any available, or if the district can get some in their feasibility study on the outcomes that they've had with this. It's very interesting to read, and I'm looking forward to seeing this, and be proud to be a co-sponsor. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Board Member Santos had been waiting, and then.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Gallin, this item is amazing. I gotta tell you, I have always wanted more time to dive into seat time. If you look at my list when I came in in 2020, seat time is on there, and I'm so glad you're doing it. It hasn't risen to my top yet, but thank you, because it is such an important thing, and we don't realize that even when we wanna try certain innovative models, that requirement of seat time sometimes is the one thing that gets in our way. So I am deeply grateful that we are going to explore this. And I did want to ask that in the action proposed that when the superintendent gives us that report, If we could add in there that they include what Board Member Colucci just said, the outcomes and findings. Because when we did some preliminary research on the statute that passed in 2016, which allowed for the five-year pilot, that pilot ended in 2021. So I don't know if there's any information they want to share now or if it can just be included in that report. I am very curious, and we could not find much in our superficial research there. through the chair, I am very excited to go sponsor this.

Okay. I also had some comments, but you wanted to make some comments regarding what the superintendent had mentioned.

Yes, yes, just two things. What the superintendent mentioned, but specifically to respond to Board Member Santos, and thank you for describing my item as amazing. I haven't heard that. I'll take that. I'll take that. Number four, I think gets behind your request to have what does the research say? I know Vice Chair Colucci also mentioned. So the intent and the spirit of recommend four is benchmark best practices from other states and districts that have been successfully implemented CBE initiatives. So through the chair, I just want staff to illuminate that as a part of best practices that are reflected there. That will include research, but research is just that. I want research that reflects practices. So you could have research that's theoretical, but we're looking at what has been actually implemented. So that was the spirit of recommend four. And through the chair, to your point, Board Member Alonzo, this is really... a competitive imperative. It may seem to be something overly innovative, but a lot of districts and educational programs actually implement some version of this. And questions may arise as it relates to what schools and how could we do it very often. I see Mr. Mateo in the back. What comes to mind in some of these cases, we wonder Very often how our students who fall behind are able to accelerate, we utilize the terminology credit recovery. but we have technology-based resources and software and platforms such as Edgenuity that allows students to accelerate very quickly. And some of these are the same students that march across the stage when you shake their hands and graduate. Where they left their home school two years behind, they go to a different model or within the school utilizing Edgenuity, they're able to reclaim and recapture and recover credits without having to repeat that entire year by utilizing technology. So I think if we explore this as a formalized framework for our school district, this would, again, strengthen our ability to compete where students have to often leave our schools to have access to such programs. We can have this as a part of our framework and mitigate some of those seat time requirements. We're allowed by law through the chair. Thank you.

And Dr. Gallin, I too want to commend you on the item. I think it's a great idea, but I have a question for staff, and it might be an opportunity also to highlight some of the things that perhaps we're doing. I want to get some clarification. In my district, we started a school, Venetian Park, this year, and it sounds to me like some of these things might be tying in if we can maybe get some clarification and maybe the board can hear about the amazing things that we're starting this year at Venetian Park. Yes, ma'am. Through the chair?

Through the chair. Apologies. So yes, Venetian Park Academy is... We have applied to the state for innovative school technology approval. And one of the things would be flexibility with seat time, flexibility with when different standards are taught, multi-age groupings, things like that. So we're in kind of like a back and forth currently with the application. We submitted it. the state reviewed it, gave us some feedback, we're updating, we're sending back. Right now the school has opened with very young children, so they really wouldn't be, the seat time flexibility would really speak to how many minutes they're spending on their different subjects, not how many minutes they're spending inside of school. But I think to Dr. Gallin's item, would be more that as they move towards secondary. And that is the vision for Venetian Park is that as the students get older and into the upper grades, there could be flexibility literally with how much time they're in the building. So when they're little, it's more about how many minutes they spend on each subject. And if they're mastering, their standards than having additional time flexibility for project-based learning, interconnected interdisciplinary units and things like that. But definitely as they get older, the idea is that they would be able to be away from the school site for more minutes doing activities in the community, doing things with their parents, workplace learning, things like that. So that is where we started with Venetian Park. And I think this is a natural progression to where we want to go.

So thank you, and I just also wanted the board to hear what we're doing in that space because I thought as you explained it to me that also, I think as early as fourth or fifth grade, they would be doing some work, spending some time in the community as part of that learning process.

Through the chair, yes, that's the idea. And they're in particular because they're elementary with the parents as well. We want to involve them in having community learning and activities that are... connected to the school site, but outside of the school site. So similar to some of the ideas that Dr. Dodgers has shared repeatedly about industry-based learning and workplace learning, but with the little ones, it would be more experiential, like community learning, leading up to these other flexibilities that we would wanna see in secondary.

Thank you, and Madam Chair, I know that you had some comments you were.

Yes, just one final comment. Again, this is, again, an imperative as it was just alluded to by the maker of the item that is absolutely essential that we are able to compete accordingly by having these options readily available for all those that we serve. But because it's such a great possibility, I read number two where it says in recommend number two, conduct a feasibility study to explore piloting competency-based education models in select schools and grade levels with particular focus on secondary schools and alternative pathways. So it sounds like such a great program. Is this going to be one in every board member district or minimally one in the south and the north? And in central, I don't know. I would love to see it. one pilot, if possible, in every board member district, that would be great, but I don't know if that's a possibility or even if that's what you were aiming for. Dr. Gallin, since it's your item, I guess you should be the first one to respond through the chair.

Go ahead, Dr. Gallin. Yes, through the chair, absolutely, Madam Chair, but I contemplated those determinations predicated on the feasibility for expanding it. So in Recommend 5, I think the report on December 18th, will give us a framework as it relates to how feasible it is and we could have an extended conversation whether it's going to be through human capital whether it's going to be explored through technology-based frameworks they'll look at the different options as it relates to how we can implement but i'll wait for the feasibility study so just looking at what schools would be better so to to to uh board member blanco's point as relates to that particular program that was analogous to montessori but this is an emphasis on secondary. Many of us may remember at one point, but those of us who were at the high school, like myself, we had eight period days at one point. We offered eight periods. I see George Nunez is back there. So we had eight periods, but that had become cost prohibitive to do it, and it required some levels of collective bargaining. This has fiscal implications. It has implications for competition and marketing and innovation, but we'll let the staff decide what are the feasibility. Are there some costs associated with it? And again, are those costs mitigated by potential savings? Because as we start to have this conversation around the scarcity of resources, and I had to say this maybe 20 years ago, when resources become scarce, intellect and innovation becomes invaluable. When resources become scarce, intellect and innovation becomes invaluable. So how we can become more creative around these particular issues. So I'll wait until they give us the report and see what they make a determination. And at that point, the board can weigh in even further as it relates to that. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Mr. Superintendent, you had some comments?

No, Madam Chair. I'm good. Thank you. Okay.

All right, so can I get a motion for co-sponsorship? Second? All in favor? Aye. Okay, thank you. Motion to move the item as amended to the board meeting?

Second? All in favor?

Aye.

Thank you.

All right, item... Now we move on to item H13, and that is Board Member Bendraz-Mindigal's item. She did leave me some talking points, and so I'll just kind of read those aloud for you. Good afternoon. For years, much of our focus and conversation around literacy has centered on third grade, and rightfully so. We know that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is one of the strongest predictors of a child's future academic success, but today I ask us to take a step back and consider this. What if we shifted some of that focus a little bit earlier? What if we dedicated our time and resources and interventions to second grade students, ensuring that we close gaps before they widen? This item is about strengthening the academic readiness of our second graders in English language arts. It's about recognizing the journey to third grade proficiency begins long before a child takes their first state assessment. By identifying and supporting our lowest level readers in second grade, we can intervene at a critical point when the foundation for literacy is still being built and reinforced. The achievement gap does not suddenly appear in third grade. It emerges quietly, often years earlier. By the time students reach us in third grade, many are already struggling to catch up. But if we place intentional support in second grade, we give these students the tools they need to make a successful transition, not only into third grade, but throughout the rest of their academic careers. This item calls for a deliberate and proactive investment in early intervention. It calls for us to equip our teachers with the strategies, resources, and support they need to meet students where they are. And most importantly, it calls for us to give our children the chance to succeed before they fall behind. That is board member's item. Does anyone have any questions or comments they'd like to make to staff? Madam Chair, you're recognized.

Not questions for staff, simply a comment, and I know that the maker of the item is not here right now, but I fully, 100% support this item. It is imperative to zero in and laser focus on those primary grades, on those students. The younger they are, the more important it is for us to start working with them. So by the time they get to third grade, they are more than ready to be able to find success, as so many of the reports that we have read show that if children are behind in third grade, they're gonna really struggle. throughout their years in school. Some of them may even end up not finishing school and so on and so forth, and have disciplinary issues, and it just goes on and on. So I love the fact that she has brought this item forth. It's extremely important. As a matter of fact, it also supports three items. I know I brought one in 2019, one in 2020, and one in 2022. that were similar so this again is continuing the path of emphasizing those primary grades and doing everything in our power so that we can prepare these children. So I would like to at the proper time be a co-sponsor for the item proposed by Dr. Bendros-Mendingo, thank you.

Any other board members like to comment? I think we would all agree anything we can do to ensure and not wait until that third grade to start intervening would be excellent for our children. So can I get a motion for co-sponsorships? Second. All in favor? Aye.

Motion to move it as amended.

All in favor? Aye. Thank you. And the next board item, the next item is H-14, and that is also Board Member Bendross-Mindigal's item. Thank you. She left me talking points as well. For each October, our nation comes together to recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to honor survivors, remember those we've lost, and reaffirm our commitment to early detection, treatment, and education. In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we continue this important tradition, one that was former championed annually by our beloved former chair, Proleta Barris-Hattman. Chair Hattman understood the power of raising awareness within our schools and community, and I'm proud to continue this legacy in her honor. At this time, I also wish to take a point of personal privilege to acknowledge two individuals who have been instrumental in helping keep this item alive and meaningful. First, Anna Lara, a dedicated former staff for Chair Hatman, who has continued to support and advocate for this recognition. And second, Morgan Sissom of the American Cancer Society, whose work and partnership ensure that awareness translates into action and resources for those who need it most. This item is about more than just awareness. It is about education, prevention, and community engagement. Our schools are places where knowledge can change lives, and by recognizing this month, we affirm our role in empowering students, families, and staff with information and support. In the days ahead, we will also be sharing marketing materials, walk information, and additional resources so that our community has opportunities to participate, to learn, and to stand in solidarity with all those touched by this disease. that is her item any comments questions can i get a motion for co-sponsorships second all in favor aye motion to move the item as amended all in favor aye all right thank you very much now we move on to new business and staff follow-ups Let's do the staff follow up first. The June 2025 H3 item comprehensive analysis of student mental health data. Ms. Stewart.

Through the chair, I would like to reintroduce Ms. Stewart. Miriam Stewart is joining us and did join us a couple of months ago. I think most of you have met her here on the dais, but we're very happy to have her over the Division of Student Services and Mental Health. So we did transmit this report on August 29th, 2025, but we are available for any questions.

Madam Vice Chair, this was your item.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank you and congratulate you on a job well done. This is a very... robust assignment and it was very, very well done. I really, I haven't gone through it very finely, I've looked over it, but I wanted to ask just a couple of questions on the screeners. It seems to me, through the chair, that we are getting some positive results and feedback using the screeners. Through the chair, is that correct? And can you just elaborate a little bit more? And I think it's on page... It starts on page 18.

Ms. Stewart, you'll be responding? Yes. Go ahead.

Through the chair, the goal of the screeners, this was a sample of 400 screeners at the beginning and a progress monitoring screener. And the goal of the screener is to progress monitor the services that are being provided. So you're absolutely correct. that you do see a positive outcome as a result of the progress monitoring screener for students in both elementary, which is the RCADs, and then in the secondary level with students in grades six to 12.

Through the chair? Go ahead. And are we planning on expanding the screener program? Because I know that at one point when Ms. Allion was here, she had said that there was one school per voting district. Is that still the case through the chair?

That was the pilot, through the chair, that was the pilot program for the screeners that we started with the University of South Florida, but we're no longer using that particular pilot program, which is one school per voting district, but the screeners are used universally with students in K-12.

Okay, thank you. And I also wanted to just make a couple of quick observations. I noticed that our therapeutic outcomes from 2023, 2024, 2024, 2025 have pretty much remained even, which I would say is, you know, On page 19. And there was a decrease in anxiety. Yes. There was a decrease from the initial screener to the progress monitoring, which I deem very positive.

Through the chair, exactly, which I mentioned before, which is the progress monitoring should show an improvement. So you might see a medium severity or high severity where those students move after progress monitoring, after those services, whether it's individual counseling, group counseling, or family therapy, move to a lower severity category. So that's the difference from the initial screener to the progress monitoring screening.

Okay. And if I have any other follow-up questions, in the essence of time, I will call you directly. But thank you for a job well done. And I do think, and I want to state for the record, I think that this is something that, as a district, we need to continue doing because we do expend a lot of resources on this. So we need to track and see where we're going, where we're getting things right, where we can improve, and go back and revisit. So with that being said, thanks once again. Thank you, Madam Chair. Absolutely. Board Member Alonzo.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair, and thank you for a great report and for the work that you guys do in the mental health. This is kind of in line with mental health, but it's really more into the new business. And everybody knows here on this board that I'm a huge advocate of AI, but I have some concerns, as so does this board. And last week we heard of the tragic news of an individual who committed suicide after he was chatting with a chat bot and the unfortunate results that come from that. And look, we've seen this happen with social media. We've seen this happen with so many other tools and applications that are out there. As we go into this world that we're already in of AI, it's not going to go away. There's no way for us to block it here at the school district. But I think there are things that we can do as a district to augment the work that we're already doing through our mental health department to help our children to understand that chatbots aren't always going to give you the response that you want to know. And I know that we're doing a lot of work here in the district, thanks to our academics team and through innovation and Danny Mateo's camp, to put all the tools in place to get red flags when students are using our tools. But we know that they're not always using tools that we can control and manage. So as a district, what are we doing through our mental health department to be able to help and educate our students on the use of AI and how that's not truly a mental health counselor you should be going to through the chair.

Really quick before you respond. So, Board Member Alonzo, you must have been peeking over. I don't know if you remember, but I want to say it was March. I put in an item about the AI companion apps, and I have a copy of it here because I wanted to get some clarification as to what exactly are we doing, given the current news of this young man who took his life. Because I'm really concerned, and parents are not aware of... They're not aware that their children are using AI. And at the end of the day, a lot of it really boils down to recognizing signs in their children, regardless of whether it's AI, whether it's social media, whether it's interactions just with their friends that are causing them to feel feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, et cetera. But specifically with AI, We need to inform parents of what to be watching for. And that was a specific purpose of my item. And so I wanted to ask for an update as a new business, but I still want to go back to something early. But we'll do this now because now we're on this topic. So, Mr. Superintendent, if you could please provide some responses.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. And as a result of the conversation that we had back then, Parent Academy, has been, they did a session with AI, and we're gonna do another one as well. So what's happening is when we have these committee meetings and the board meetings, the parental component is becoming really, really important. So when you folks as board members express concern that parents need to know. Barbara Mendizava, she now reports to Dr. Lewis, she's picking up these topics and we're creating seminars to make sure that we're communicating it to parents. Sometimes we even do across board messages. So there will be a follow up regarding AI and the precautions to take from parents very soon. I don't know if we have the date or not, but that is in place, Ms. Blanco.

And I think our biggest challenge is okay, we do these things through Parent Academy, but is it reaching, how many parents are taking avail, right, of these opportunities to learn? And I'm sure I speak for many of these other board members. For example, when I had my book bag drives, I had Parent Academy at every single one. And so many of those parents, it was almost like the first time that they realized that this was a resource. They didn't know where to access it. and so I am very happy that Parent Academy is doing it, and they do a wonderful job. It's not a reflection of the job that they do. It's a matter of getting parents to listen to the sessions we have, get online, because in the fast-paced world, I mean, as I walked in, I overheard, you know, board member Espino telling Madam Chair how busy the school year is and with sports and with this, and And parents get so caught up in all of the things that they're doing that when they have to take the time to go and watch a webinar on this, it's not going to happen, right? So any way that we can infuse this, and I know I've worked in schools long enough to know that just because you have a parent meeting at night, parents don't show up. You have back to school night, some parents won't show up. But we've got to find ways to infuse this into those moments when parents are in the schools, in person, because just kind of putting it out, I fear that the parents that need to hear it are the ones that aren't getting that message.

Board Member Alonso. Just as a follow-up to it, I mean, I completely agree with you, and our Parent Academy is incredible. I mean, I've been with them, the work that they do, but we know our parents, I mean, even when I do my family nights, I can only lure the parents there if there's student performances and then you can talk to them about different subject matters because we're busy. I'm a parent myself. I can't make it to all my son's events. I didn't go to his open house the other day because I was at a conference and my wife went for me. So I now missed out on that. So it's important that we do that. One of the thoughts that I wanna throw out there and we have a responsibility as a district and as the leaders in education in South Florida to educate not just our students but our parents. We have access to media sources. We need to do a better job of maybe doing some outreach and campaigning around it. We can kind of focus in on how innovative we're doing and how we're gonna protect your children when they're in our schools, but US parents need to protect your children at home. Because we can't do that for them. And the last thing any of us want to have to deal with is a tragedy of something like this happening here locally. And it's not going to happen using one of our tools because we have great individuals monitoring. It's going to be with a tool that we don't manage and control. But if we don't help our parents understand that their students are on there, I think they're already starting to understand the effects of social media. But it's a whole new world now with AI. And I know this morning I read a report that CHATGPG now is going to have parental controls and they can limit it. But we know our kids know how to get around parental controls. Let's not kid ourselves. It's happening with social media. There's age limits on social media and they still get on it. So it'd be interesting, you know, and as you said, you guys always take back ideas from our board meetings and committee meetings to maybe our communications team to think about some ways in which Individuals within our organization can go on the unpaid media not paying for commercials But go on some of the shows talking about what our district is doing what parents should be doing on their end And us as board members I think we need to include in all of our discussions with parents Whenever we're hosting events to make parents alert because they that those are those little touch points and opportunities are there and I'm one that always says I advocate for innovation But I also advocate for student safety because that's number one then comes all the innovation So I just wanted to put that out there, and thank you so much, Board Member Blanco, for bringing it up in the past, and I just wanted to continue keeping it at top of conversation because it's important, especially as we saw this very sad tragedy just last week.

Yeah, absolutely. I was going to bring it up, so I'm glad that you did, Mr. Superintendent.

No, this is, Madam Chair, this is great conversation because maybe what we can actually do is partner up with media. and do like a session, just on AI. I mean, we just did a round table regarding enrollment. Jackie brought that to the fold. You know, they can be a partner, especially something as important as this. So we will most definitely follow up and see. I think there's a lot of interest at their end. It's just a very innovative topic. What we'll try to do is make sure that it's focused on the parental side. So great idea. We will definitely follow up.

And I believe firmly in that it's not about promoting a fear, but it's empowering the parents, right? We're not saying that children can't use it or anything like that, but they need to be aware of the power that it has and some of the things that could happen so that they can try to be monitoring a little bit more without having to be the policeman, because parents shouldn't police their kids either, although that's a whole other topic.

Madam Vice Chair, I think you wanted to make some comments. Thank you, Madam Chair. So just a couple of quick comments. One way and one avenue I think is very effective to reach parents and let them know about this topic, and we have them coming up right now, is open house, where you have a big turnout of parents. So have the teachers, the principals at that point, especially elementary schools, they're full of parents, very much so. That's, I think, the one time of year where you get the most turnout. and use that opportunity to discuss the parent academy and have the teachers do it too. It's different than when they're watching the super, no offense, Dr. Dotris, the superintendent's address, when they're watching that, but when they're listening to the actual teacher, if the teacher can reinforce Your excellent message. So, you know, they, you know, sometimes people tune out, unfortunately, when there's a screen. So that would be, I think, helpful. The other thing I wanted to talk about was what you were talking and I loved your item on the AI companions. It was excellent. What are we doing as far as AI since this came up and it was a segue into one of the new business items that I wanted to bring in. Filters on AI that we control. Because like any AI that we're using in our schools, I know that we, before when you would go to whatever, YouTube, there were filters. Is there any controls that we have? Because sometimes I, you know, like if I Google something, you know, or not Google, if I use ChapGPT, it's interesting some of the things they come up with. So I'm just curious as a district, And I know, I'm very well aware that they can get it on their own device, but it's incumbent upon us, the devices that we can control during the school day to have those safeguards and guardrails in place for our students to make sure that they're not accessing anything through artificial intelligence that is not in compliance with our policies or our state statutes through the chair. Ms. Diaz?

Yes, through the chair. That's a great question, Ms. Colucci, and we do. We utilize Lightspeed, and it picks up and it alerts on anything concerning or any type of input that students put into our machines, questioning, and then it has automated and also a human reviewer, and depending on the the severity of the concern, it elevates even all the way directly to school's police if they believe it's an imminent danger.

Thank you. Through the chair. I'm familiar with Lightspeed, but I think Lightspeed, I don't know if it will be able to monitor every single... I know it works on different words, keywords, or whatever, but I'm talking about just things that might not be age-appropriate for a child through AI is what I'm talking about.

I think, if I understand correctly, maybe to clarify... I know Lightspeed can pick up things on emails and things, but if they're on, let's say, ChatGPT, first of all, can they access ChatGPT from our devices?

No. Through the chair, no. The only one they can utilize is Gemini for teens, the more protected.

And if in Gemini they put something, does Lightspeed pick it up?

Okay.

Is that what you were asking?

Yeah, I just want to make sure that we have, you know, we just want to be monitoring to make sure that there's nothing that we are facilitating because of lack of guardrails or lack of supervision. Okay. And then that's it for the AI. I have something else for new business. Okay. Board Member Santos, is this also on AI or something?

It's back to where we started. Perfect. I want to go back to that, too.

So please go ahead. Thank you. And thank you so much, Ms. Stewart, for bringing us this plan and to Board Member Colucci for making sure that we check on this every year. I appreciate that a lot. On page five of 24, you share some survey results that was shared by your department with us last year as well. And I thought there were some really interesting trends there. kindly request that in the future if there are trends since we're now reviewing this year over year and we're on year three that those be stated you know upfront so for example we went back and looked and congratulations because 11% more students felt comfortable supporting a friend and alerting an adult to a friend situation but one thing that was really you know, caught my attention was that 10% less students felt comfortable reaching out during a mental health crisis, if I'm reading that correctly from last year to this year. And so there were some really positive trends, but then there were also some really concerning trends. And I wonder if you all have already done the analysis of trying to understand, well, how come it could be that you feel more comfortable helping a friend, but less comfortable reaching out for support for yourself? Through the chair, I'm happy to follow up, or if you want to give any initial responses from the work your team has done, I'd be happy to hear them now.

Through the chair, yes, we do look year to year. It's important to note that there are different sets of kids, of course, because some graduate and new ones come on. But we do look at, so it's not exactly apples to apples, but we do look at trends, and then we address that through professional development with the mental health coordinators, and we kind of go through and say, okay, what could potentially have been the cause of this or not, and then just to make them more aware and try to be more actionable in those areas. Okay.

Thank you. And through the chair, so in this specific case, do you have any initial thoughts about your discussions and maybe what you've done in professional development around this statistic? No, not at this time. Through the chair. Thank you. Through the chair. I would love to hear follow-up as you and your team continue to evolve. As Misty has just stated, I'm sure you do all the time. but that really caught my eye. On page 9 of 24, you show our mental health coordinator referrals, and those went down over 1,300. Obviously, we've talked a little bit about enrollment. I'm sure that has something to do with it. There's less students. How else would you maybe explain that? Have you all thought through that, through the chair?

Through the chair, yes, we have thought through that. And it can vary year to year. As I did a deep dive into the analysis and looked at previous reports, throughout the year, it could be a matter of those tier one universal programs at schools being implemented effectively through the school site, school administrators, the mental health coordinators, and students being more proactive and building a better awareness with students. And that's our goal. You know, we want students to, their well-being and their safety is our priority. And the goal is for them to be more aware of their needs, for parents to reach out more, for our stakeholders to be aware of the programs that are available to them. So that's what I attribute the decline to. If you see on the last, towards the end of the last page, and looking at since the inception of the reviews, trying to analyze the reason for possible spikes, possibly being as a result of the pandemic and students not being in schools. As a former high school and middle school principal, I saw students come back and really have an issue and struggling with coming back to school and having face-to-face interaction with their peers. So there are different reasons for a decline. It could be... certain situations or that could trigger students. There might be situations at schools that may trigger a large amount of students that might have an issue with dealing with situations. So it varies.

Thank you. Through the chair, the year-to-year comparison on individual counseling sessions right under it, also a drop of over 8,400. The previous year, an increase of over 8,000. So I I would love, like you're giving us the data and it's helpful. I am curious to understand how can it be, it might be tier one supports are working really well and thank you to you and your department because I do think there's a general increased awareness and your survey results show it. there are still interesting, and maybe it is that we are getting better. Obviously, anecdotally, I think there are still many of us noticing lots of horrific stories and tragic situations, but those are anecdotal, right? They don't necessarily point to the entire trend. And maybe the real answer here is we're figuring this out. We're helping young people prioritize their mental health and achieve it and maintain it. And so I hope that's what it is, and I'm just asking for that. analysis through the report. You mentioned earlier through the chair that the University of South Florida pilot is no longer continuing. Can you explain why?

No, I cannot explain. Through the chair, I don't have an answer for that. I know that it was a pilot program for the first two years, I believe, but I would have to look into that and get back to you.

Ms. Diaz. Through the chair, also just to clarify, the screeners that were referenced earlier, those are utilized as needed, widespread. So they're not necessarily tied to, previously when we did the pilot, they were, but now those are throughout the different schools. So as the mental health coordinators utilize them, they do the pre, the baseline, and then the follow-up.

Thank you. Through the chair, right, so those are for students who are already identified and you're screening sort of pre and post. The idea that, I mean, back in 2020, we were discussing was a universal screener allows you to address students who outwardly, or even maybe have never reached out, haven't been flagged. And so the pilot with the University of South Florida was the concept different from these screeners of a universal screener. And there were promising results. I know there were challenges around parent opt-in. I know we discussed that last year. But there was promise there to catch and support students that otherwise, and we see more and more cases where the students who end up in a tragedy are the ones who everyone thought were perfectly fine. And have seen that, unfortunately, last week. This is, An important thing that I'm concerned we are completely dropping if we are no longer partnering with a university partner or figuring out how we are adopting our own universal screeners and continuing to work through the challenges of informing our families of why this is important and helpful so that they can give us permission to do that. So if you could please follow up specifically on the universal screeners. I know I spent a lot of time with Ms. Sally Alley on that, so I'm very concerned to hear. that that is not continuing right now. I'll leave my questions at that for now and I'm really grateful for all the work you're doing. Again, thank you Vice Chair Colucci for making sure we get this data.

I did have a question and I think it really speaks to what Board Member Santos was saying. So as I read through it, Many times, and I think on page 23 figure 17 kind of catches it right when we look at the number of referrals number of sessions number of risk assessment when you compare 2324 to 2425 all the numbers drop. Well, I can provide. a lot of reasons as to why that is. I could say that tier one is working. I could say that children are just less anxious, less depressed, less at risk. Or I could be a devil's advocate and I can say we're doing a worse job than picking things up. So I guess my question and what I would love to see, and I know it might have been too daunting for this item, is what's the why? Like we can't just give a suggestion and a suggestion that is a positive one because we might be missing that there's a bad reason those numbers are down. So I know it's hard statistically, but this is just too important of a topic to assume that it's because of, that it's good reasons. I'd be, I'm happy if that was it, but I just want to know what can we do to really look at, is it the effectiveness of our tier one? Is it just, there was a spike with the pandemic and now we're starting to see that some things have improved, but let's go back to that AI conversation. We know that there are still significant stressors in these young people's lives that I'm not too quick to dismiss just, oh, they're just better, right? So that's kind of my comments. I don't know if you can really talk to that. If we do have some

true correlation true data that's not just correlational to say and suggest um that this is the reason for the drop through the chair that that is also a question that we circled around number of many times during the preparation of this of this follow-up because this is aggregate data right and so it's it's many many students as is indicated there and then like some of them The sessions are duplicated, of course. For some students, they may do three sessions. Some students may do 13 sessions, depending on, and we could go and go deeper and deeper. Sometimes it's an acute incident that occurs in a community, and that spikes for that community, and that may spike the whole day, but then it's not really true for district-wide. So we do, and I appreciate the comments, because again, we were kind of in the same thing. How can we ascertain that? with the data that we have because it is correlated but it's not necessarily causative, if that's the right word. So we have to see how we can get to that in such a large sample size.

And I think it's difficult for us to do as a district to be able to run that kind of statistical analysis. I think at the end of the day we just have to know we can't let our guard down. We need to continue doing you know, looking for different ways, enhancing our tier one, continuing to make sure that our teachers are aware, right? We need to continue. And I think that also highlights what board member Santos was saying is if we were doing a universal screener for all students and that was catching things and, Do we need to go back to that? And when did we stop that? And could that be one of the reasons why these numbers drop? Because we were missing something that we were doing before. So I absolutely appreciate all the data. When Vice Chair Colucci first brought this item, I was weary of voting for the item because I didn't think that staff would be able to collect all of that data in such a short amount of time. but they did, and it's been great to have that. But taking that deeper level of analysis is something that I know may be difficult, but something that I think we either need to do or at least ensure that we don't drop the ball and think that because numbers look better, that we don't need to continue doing things. Yes.

Madam Chair. I'm just going to make a very brief statement. First and foremost, thank you, Board Member Colucci, again, for that item. But today, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all of you that submitted such a comprehensive document, because it truly was and very helpful and very beneficial. I will go back to one, just a simple word that I have been using for months and years, the why. The why and the why. Okay. And today you'll see an item that I have which is going to address the why on student enrollment. So to your point, the why is critically important because it's imperative to have that before we can have a plan of action for implementation that is going to truly address the root cause of why we are where we are with certain areas that we are discussing right now. So hopefully that's something also that will be looked at very, very carefully. But again, thank you to all of you who worked tirelessly on getting this very comprehensive document together because Board Member Vice Chair Colucci Truly, your item was spectacular, and it hits all the areas of concern that we needed responses to, and I know they've done a really good job of trying to get all that to us, so thank you. And that's all that I have at this point in time. I do have to make one announcement. When you finish this portion, just one quick announcement.

Okay. Vice Chair Colucci and then Board Member Santos had some more comments.

Are we done with the mental health? Okay, before I go on, one quick closeout.

Thank you, Board Member Blanco, for saying that. In 2024, we all voted for the research practice consortium item, and this is exactly the type of item that's perfect because universities can partner with us, and they have professional researchers, funded research, to, in very ethical and professional ways, be our evaluation or just simply research partners on these questions we're asking. I would not expect ARDA. I know they've got enough on their plate. But we can, and we did. So I want to make sure we get back on that track and that we grow those partnerships to have them, the professionals, be answering these questions for us because they can be answered. Thank you.

Absolutely, thank you. And I just want to clarify when I was talking about the original item that Vice Chair brought, it's not that I didn't want to support it. I supported it. I just wanted to make sure that district staff could produce once we voted on something. I realized I might have come out wrong.

Madam Chair, they rose to the challenge. Yes, they did.

All right, any other comments on the mental health follow-up that we received?

Okay.

then Vice Chair Colucci, I believe you wanted to.

Yes, this is new business. So just very quickly, I spoke with Ms. Diaz, and she did answer me. I did get a text from a teacher today Unsolicited, she just said quick question. Were we able to continue to receive the Saddler Phonics books? I have found that as the key to getting these second graders ready to read. This year we don't have the books. I appreciate any help you can. So I know I called Ms. Diaz. She says that they are coming through. I just want to follow up. How quickly will they get here through the chair?

Through the chair, once the company has told us that they can ship as quickly as 24 hours once the invoices and everything are approved.

let's say maybe 48 yes please because that's uh you know our mission here too and and it um you know and that the feedback that i've gotten from the schools that i visit is the same positive feedback so i hope that that's something and through the chair are we going to be i know that when this initially launched the item in 2023 i believe um They ordered them for all grade levels, is that correct? Or was it just K-2, which was for the item? Through the chair. Through the chair, K-2. Perfect. Okay, so we'll continue through K-2. Yes, ma'am. All right, thank you. That was it.

Any other new business, Madam Chair? I know you had something.

Yes, thank you. It's not new business. Just an announcement. Our superintendent is going to continue his advocacy in Washington, D.C. for us and for our children and all those that we represent. He has a very important trip that he will be on today, and therefore he may not be with us for the rest of the committee meetings that we have pending. I know you were going to try to stay as long as you could, sir, but I did want to make sure that I made the announcement in case they see you leaving. That is the reason why he will not be with us, of course. He will leave, I believe, Mr. Bueno in charge, and next to him we have Dr. Lewis and Ms. Diaz. I mean, he's got a whole team that's gonna do a great job in his absence. But good luck. And we trust that you are really going to go out there and make the case for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and why we are their best choice. And that's why we've had an A for six years. And in addition, graduation rates never seen before. So hopefully you'll come back to us with very good news. We're looking forward to that. Thank you. That's all. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Any other new business? Okay. We transitioned from follow-up to new business altogether, and I don't want to leave out Dr. Tri-Diggs. We all received the ETO update. Does anybody have any questions or comments for her? I do. Madam Chair. Where is she? Oh, there she is.

Thank you so much. I know that you worked tirelessly to really make a difference in that department, and you have. I read everything you submitted, but I want to focus on the two schools, one of them being mine. that were the only two that did not get the grade that we were hoping for. And I'm very concerned that in a blink of an eye, that could get even worse. So what I want to hear from you is exactly all the extra assistance that is being provided to those two schools that really need all the help they can get right now. And in addition to that, so that you can just respond all at once, we have some C schools that in a blink of an eye could become a lower grade. And so therefore, what are we doing for them as well? Those are my two questions through the chair. Okay, Ms. Diggs.

Through the chair, so in an effort to support the schools that you're referencing this year for your school specifically, we have two teams that's supporting that school. One specifically for the elementary side of the house, and then we have a second team that will support the middle school side of the house. In addition to that, we have provided City Year to support those schools. And we are providing hourly dollars. They're also receiving assistance from the state through UNICEF to be able to provide additional hourly dollars for interventionists, for different professional learning experiences, additional resources. And we work hand in hand in tandem with the region. We've also worked with the Office of Bilingual, that particular department, and we've also worked with the SPED department as well to ensure that we've covered all bases as it relates to providing the support to ensure that the school is successful.

so through the chair i appreciate the support number one um it's a support on a daily basis five days a week and for how much time half a day an hour two hours what is that uh you know that the opportunity for all of the members of not just the elementary side but also the middle uh portion side to get all the help that they need and two I hear about the support. What are we doing for the continuous monitoring of where they are? And if you could just elaborate a little bit on that, I would be very grateful.

Go ahead, Mr. Superintendent.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Ms. Rojas, what I wouldn't want to do, Ms. Digg, is to provide generalized statements so she can meet with you like she meets with some board members and go over the individual support mechanism for every school. So I have to be very careful in generalizing, so I would want her to follow up on that. Every school, that's one thing that we do here very, very well, is we customize the support based on the school needs so she can provide that for you.

now if you can just go over the monitoring plan that we have for all schools in that predicament and how we scale them up thank you madam chair thank you so through the chair for any school that's tier three we monitor the school on a weekly basis that monitoring again is not just done by the education transformation office we also have curriculum directors that work in the actual region. Again, based on the status of the school, that support may also come from oversight from the state. Ms. Diaz, it's definitely a collaborative effort to ensure that there is support there, not just by the content experts, which include but are not limited to our instructional supervisors, our curriculum support specialists, as well as our administrative directors. And naturally, I also walk the school, walk the building and monitor. And then we also review qualitative and quantitative data on a daily basis to ensure that, again, we are informed and we make those pivots and shifts as we deem necessary based on those metrics.

Thank you, I appreciate that. Through the chair, is the school now fully staffed, completely all teachers are in place? I know that the person in charge of that department is not here, so I don't know if anybody has the answer. If not, just get back to me on that one. I don't have a problem with that, but I do want to follow up with how many of those teachers assigned to the school are new teachers, brand new teachers to the system, in a school that is in a very dangerous situation right now, what are we doing to support those new teachers? And how many new teachers do we have assigned to that particular school? You don't have to give it to me now. But I do need that information because that's critically important in a school. There are only two. I'm only talking two schools here. And in both of those, I think we really need to make sure that we're on top of all of that if we're gonna make a difference. Mr. Superintendent, you have a comment?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Rojas. That's a great question. So from the professional, because Don is not here, from the professional development department, right, they have a particular focus on top of what Dr. Diggs does. They look at schools in general. the schools with the largest number of new teachers, and they provide what they call nest sessions to support the new teachers at those schools. I don't know what the numbers are in these two particular schools, but trust me that there are a lot of supports in place, and they do prioritize through these nest sessions and these on-site visits for new teachers, because what happens is the efforts, and I learned this when I was a curriculum director, you have to be careful of bringing so many folks into a building that they will provide different messaging. So what they do is, in conjunction with ETO and PD, they make sure that the supports and the messaging and what needs to be done is providing adequately. So I know that's an element that has also been strengthened, and I'm glad that you asked about that in particular. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Diggs. That's all I have. Thank you.

Anybody else? Any other comments, follow-ups? Okay. It seems that we have exhausted today's agenda. Can I have a motion to adjourn?

Move it.