Communication by Estancia Schools Still Needs to Improve

In case you missed it, the next EMSD Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 2nd at 6 pm. Maybe someone saw the policy that says, “108.11.1 Regular meetings of the Board shall be on the second Tuesday of each month,” but only noticed the “Tuesday” part. The communication by Estancia Schools still needs to improve. Their communication practices remind me of an Abbot and Costello skit.

Nevertheless, the August meeting is on a different day and a different week in the month. The meeting in September is still scheduled for the second Monday of that month, according to the district website.

I recently tried to re-watch some of the recordings from the last meeting and found it next to impossible to hear what was going on. Some of it was hard to hear in person, as mentioned in my previous article. At the June School Board meeting, I asked if they could use the microphone in future meetings, and some board members seemed to agree. Instead, they opted for a tiny room where they possibly assumed the acoustics would be better. They were not.

As I struggled to listen to the recordings, I heard the board talk about another policy that I didn’t hear during the portion of the meeting I attended. I had to step out for a bit with some of my kids and missed an important policy discussion. The policy discussion I missed was about a revision to the nondiscrimination policy (103). Watch the video here:

The State sent information to Superintendent Cindy Sims indicating “Gender identity” needed to be included in the policy and that they were “compelled under the statute to provide,” that change to the nondiscrimination policy.

The newest board member, Kelsey Collins, who is regularly the only board member who comes prepared for discussion said, “I just feel like this leaves us open to being sued when someone uses the wrong pronoun.” She asked to receive further clarification on the issue, and the board ultimately decided to table the discussion until the next meeting.

If you are confused about the nondiscrimination policy on the district’s website that already includes gender identity despite the policy not yet being approved by the board, don’t worry. You’re not alone. I am pretty sure the Board must approve the policy. Once again, though, the communication by Estancia Schools continues to need improving.