Wentworth School Board

Tuesday May 3rd, 2005 – 5:30 pm
Emergency School Board Meeting
Wentworth Elementary School Minutes

Members Present: Michelle Clark, and Deborah Gelsi

Administration Present: Jeff Keene - Principal WES, Ethel Gaides – SAU 48

Also Present: Bethany Gordon representing the Laconia Citizen, Judy Gove, Tamara Burrows, Vinnie Samson, Barry Walker representing The Record Enterprise

 

An emergency meeting of the Wentworth School Board was held on Tuesday May 3rd, 2005 with Michelle Clark and Deborah Gelsi being present.

Michelle Clark moves to open meeting at 5:36 pm

Michelle Clark moves and Deborah Gelsi seconds to amend the agenda to reflect Personnel discussion during Non Public Session.

Motion is passed 2-0

Non-Public Session.
Non Public (RSA 91-A: 3)
Exclusive allowable purposes are: personnel issues, nominations and hiring, reputation, sale or acquisition of property, litigation, 91-A: 2 (non meetings) consultant with legal counsel or negotiations, 91-A: 5 student records or information deemed confidential, personal or invasion of privacy.

Michelle Clark informs attendees that although this is a public meeting, it is an emergency meeting and no privilege of the floor will be extended.

Resignation of Member

• Deborah Gelsi moves to accept the resignation of Scott Vien.
• Michelle Clark seconds.
• Motion is passed 2-0

Election of Chairperson

• Deborah Gelsi moves to elect Michelle Clark as Chairperson
• Michelle Clark seconds.
• Motion is passed 2-0

Appointment of new member
Per RSA 671:33: “Appointees of the school board shall serve until the next district election when the voters of the district shall elect a replacement for the unexpired term”.

• Michelle Clark states that in the past, when confronted with an unforeseen vacancy on the board, the opening has been published in area newspapers and letters of intent or application are taken from interested parties. The SAU and the board then review these applications and interview accordingly and per RSA 671:33 appoint a member to fill the position until the next annual town election at which time the town will elect a member for the remainder of the term.
• Ethel Gaides inquires as to what publications the board would like the information posted.
• Deborah Gelsi asks that it be posted in the Record Enterprise and the North Country Independent News.
• The posting will also be posted at usual places of business where voters may have access to review, such as Town Offices, Elementary School, Town Library, Post Office and the local general store.
• Ethel will email the posting to Jeff Keene for posting at the school and to Deborah Gelsi who will post at all other normal and usual places of business within the town.
• The SAU will publicize in the two newspapers.
• The deadline for receiving interested applications or letters is set for May 20th with a review of the applicants at the regularly scheduled meeting of May 23rd 2005.
• Time is of the essence as Michelle Clark’s house is on the market and she is anticipating moving soon.
• At this time, the public portion of the agenda is completed. Michelle Clark moves to go into Non Public Session. Prior to second and vote, a resident asks if she may speak. The resident is reminded that this is not a regularly scheduled meeting of the board and that its sole purpose was to accept the resignation of Scott Vien and discuss the replacement. Board allows that privilege of the floor should be extended at any public meeting.
• Judy Gove spoke about an incident that occurred at the school last week, specifically a letter sent home on Thursday April 28th 2005 from Principal Keene regarding a routine safety sweep of the school. Mrs. Gove’s concern was that the matter was taken too lightly and wanted to know why it took the school and the board as long as it did to advise parents of the potential threat and why the school wasn’t immediately searched since according to the newspaper (Laconia Citizen), the threat was made on Tuesday.
• Michelle Clark stated that she first learned of the alleged threat on Wednesday April 27th at approx 7:45 pm, at which time she called Deborah Gelsi and after a brief conversation, it was decided by both Michelle and Deborah that the safety of the students, staff and security of the building was their primary responsibility and that the local police and the State police should be notified. It was the understanding of the board members that the alleged threat had been made against one particular student from another and not a blanket threat to the school.
• Deborah Gelsi went on to add that the both state and local police and the SAU were notified Wednesday evening immediately upon learning of the threat and the local police and the State Police went to the juvenile students home on Thursday morning, and intercepted him prior to him ever approaching the school bus or the school or any other students.
• Mrs. Gove went on to say that upon hearing of the alleged threat on Thursday morning, she dismissed her son from school and was extremely concerned that a protective sweep was not performed immediately and asked why it wasn’t performed until after several parents called the police department to ask them to search the building. Mrs. Gove also inquired about an article in the Laconia Citizen that stated the building had been searched Wednesday night and asked if we didn’t know about it until Wednesday night then how and who searched it?
• Ms. Bethany Gordon of the Laconia Citizen spoke and advised that she had written the article and admitted that she should have asked Mr. Halloran (School Superintendent) who searched it as part of her article. School Custodian, Mr. Young as part of his nightly routine, searches the school. At the time he searched the school, neither he nor the school board was aware a threat had been made.
• Mrs. Samson remarked that she called the police station on Thursday morning and asked the Chief of Police if her children were safe and was told “Technically, no” by the Chief. She commented that she immediately went to the school and dismissed her children.
• Judy Gove commented that she is concerned that the school took the threat too lightly and this isn’t the first time a student has brought a weapon to school, specifically the same student who allegedly made the most recent threat.
• Mr. Keene remarked that he has no recollection of this student bringing a weapon to school previously.
• Mrs. Burrows commented that she has verified with former board chairman Scott Vien, that this indeed did happen and there is a record the event.
• Mrs. Samson remarked that she didn’t understand how Mr. Keene could not remember the incident as she had spoken to him personally when it happened.
• Mrs. Gelsi went on to advise that currently there is no policy in place to instruct or advise the school board or employees on protocol in the event of this type of threat but that the board is diligently working to write policy on this and other matters that have come to the attention of the board as having no written policy. Mrs. Gelsi commented that she is working hard with the SAU to develop policies and procedures and as this issue had never come up before, the board did everything they thought they should do and did the best they could under the circumstances. The board reminded everyone that the student made the threat for Thursday April 28th and as the police had intercepted the student before he could board the bus or arrive at school, the board believed there was no imminent threat and a safety search was conducted once approval of the board was obtained.
• Mrs. Gelsi assured the attendees that the student who had allegedly made the threats had been permanently removed from the school.
• The SAU confirmed that he would not be coming back to WES
• Mrs. Samson returned her school building key to Mr. Keene and advised that her Girl Scout Troop will no longer be meeting in the school.
• Mrs. Samson also advised that due to ongoing conflicts with Mr. Keene, she is permanently removing her children from the Wentworth Elementary School.
• Mrs. Burrows questioned Mr. Keene regarding the suspension of her daughter on Friday April 29th 2005 and asked that the board further investigate the suspension. Her daughter was the student that the initial threat targeted and her daughter was suspended for alleged sexual harassment of another student on Friday. Mrs. Burrows feels that this was purely retaliatory and punishment for involving media in the incident with the school bus and that the student making the claim is a known close friend of the student who made the alleged threats. Her daughter is an A student and has never been in any sort of trouble before and because of the relationship between the student who made the allegations and the student who threatened her daughter, the allegations are not credible and that this type of charge against her daughter could have long term ramifications on her future school career. Her daughter has been accepted on scholarship to a private high school and she is fearful that these allegations will harm her future. Mrs. Burrows was extremely upset that Mr. Keene suspended her daughter without interviewing either her daughter of the teacher who could have confirmed Amanda’s whereabouts at the time of the alleged harassment.
• Mr. Keene believes that he handled the situation appropriately and he stands by his decision.
• Mrs. Burrows then advised the board that her daughter has been receiving threatening and vicious emails and instant messages and will not be returning to WES and will instead home school Amanda. She further stated that she hoped that no retaliation would be exacted on her other children currently attending the school.
• Michelle Clark moved to go into Non Public at:
• Motion is seconded by Deborah Gelsi
• Motion passed 2-0

Non-Public Session.
Non Public (RSA 91-A: 3)
Exclusive allowable purposes are: personnel issues, nominations and hiring, reputation, sale or acquisition of property, litigation, 91-A: 2 (non meetings) consultant with legal counsel or negotiations, 91-A: 5 student records or information deemed confidential, personal or invasion of privacy.

a) Personnel

Return from Non Public:

• Michelle Clark made a motion to return from Non Public at
• Due to a conflict, Michelle Clark moves to reschedule the May School Board meeting back to its original date and time of May 23rd, 2005 at 6:pm
• Deborah Gelsi seconds motion and motion passes 2-0
• Deborah Gelsi informs the board that the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will pay the tuition and room charge for us to send a police officer to a 4 day school to become a certified School Resource Officer. The cost to the school would be a per diem rate for meals and either bus/train or personal vehicle mileage per federal mileage rates for Louella Holmes to attend. Once certified, the school would be eligible for federal funds for DARE Program, Public Safety and Homeland Security money, and many other Federal funds.
• Deborah Gelsi moves to allow Louella Holmes to attend.
• Seconded by Michelle Clark
• Motion passes 2-0

Motion to adjourn at pm.

The next scheduled meeting of the Wentworth School Board is May 23rd 2005 at 6pm at the Wentworth Elementary School.

Respectfully submitted:

Deborah Gelsi
School Board Member and Secretary.