Board Recognizes Robotics Team, Hears Concerns About Student Cell Phone Use in Class Board Recognition When the school board met Monday, two members of Team STEAM Robotics shared highlights from the 2023- 2024 school year. Students Lois Xie of Free State and Aubrey Magnuson of Lawrence High, both rising seniors, talked about the team’s membership growing from 15 to 50 members during its 11-year history. Students from both high schools and Lawrence Virtual School make up the team, sponsored by LHS educator Jeannie Merritt. The team competes under the international program FIRST LEGO League. Xie and Magnuson said the team celebrated its most successful performances in competitions this year. Attending two regionals, the team was ranked as having the third-highest scoring robot at the Heartland Regional, where it reached the third round of eliminations. At the Oklahoma Regional, it reached the semifinals and earned the Imagery Award for combined robot and team aesthetics. The students recognized the board and district for providing their robot swerve drive, which they likened to the freedom of movement of a navigable shopping cart versus one with limited mobility. They said that their robot previously having only tank drive gave their competitors an advantage. The students also shared that their team benefits from industry mentors that help members learn coding, computer-aided manufacturing, and soft skills, such as communication and leadership. “Having been on the board for several years now, I haven’t had as many young women come up and represent the field…and the work that you are doing. It’s really exciting to see both of you here,” said Board President Kelly Jones, who asked the students about their future plans. Magnuson plans to study mechanical engineering and math at KU after high school. Xie, who is on the team’s marketing department, is interested in business. “Team STEAM has helped me build those skills, simulate what it is going to be like in a ‘real-world’ environment, and helped my public speaking,” said Xie. Team STEAM will host a robotics summer camp for students entering grades 6-8 from July 15-18 at the Lawrence College and Career Center. Students may register at https://bit.ly/TeamSTEAMRoboticsCamp or visit www.TeamSTEAMRobotics.com for more information. Board President Report Jones announced that the board received a petition from the Lawrence Education Association advocating that a committee be formed to revise student cell phone policy. “(The Board Policy Committee) worked on the middle school policy a few years ago, but I think we are at a different place now, so I appreciate the advocacy on behalf of our educators to make policy better, so students can stay more focused while they are learning,” Jones said. During public comment, six staff spoke on behalf of phone-free policies. They cited among concerns, students’ addiction to phones and lack of focus in class, constant distractions and lost instructional time, and unsafe behaviors as a result of cyberbullying and social media misuse. “We’re here to raise awareness in our school community, because unless you have walked the halls or sat in our high school classrooms in the smart phone era, chances are you don’t realize how bad it is now,” said Michelle Babcock, an LHS ESL teacher. MORE Page 2 – June 24, 2024, Board Meeting Consent Agenda The board unanimously approved the items making up its consent agenda. They included the addition of roof replacement projects at LHS, Southwest and West Middle Schools, and Cordley Elementary to a districtwide construction survey contract; an athletic facilities master planning study for the middle and high schools, and policy revisions to align with changes in state statute and Kansas Association of School Boards’ guidance. The board also approved on consent, the annual renewal of DigiCoach, a classroom walkthrough tool used to give teachers immediate feedback about curriculum and instruction expectations and strategies, and AVID annual membership and professional learning fees. AVID is a college and career readiness system designed to increase schoolwide performance and learning. Executive Session The board met in executive session to discuss ongoing employer-employee contract negotiations. The Certified Negotiations Team will meet Tuesday from 12:30-6:00 p.m. in the Facilities and Operations Conference Room, 711 E. 23rd St. Interested individuals may watch the negotiations meeting online. No date has been scheduled for the next negotiations session with PAL-CWA, representing classified staff. During his report, Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis reiterated the board’s top priorities continue to include improving staff wages, planning for increases in operational costs, and replenishing contingency funds. ###