After an emotionally charged public comment session, the Columbia School Board voted down allowing parents to record teacher meetings at which their children’s education and disability plans are discussed.
The vote was 4-3, with David Seamon and new board members Katherine Sasser and Jeanne Snodgrass in favor of changing district policy to allow the recordings and Blake Willoughby, Della Streaty-Wilhoit, Chris Horn and board President Helen Wade against it.
At the state level, a bill proposed by state Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, would give parents the right to record IEP meetings. It passed the House unanimously and is being considered by the Senate.
Before the board vote, Willoughby said Columbia Public Schools is the only one in the state having this conversation about allowing recording. Superintendent Peter Stiepleman confirmed this.
Wade expressed concern that if the district is the only one doing this, it might affect the ability to recruit and retain professionals. Wade also said she has noticed a “chilling effect” in the presence of recording devices.
“People act differently when they are being recorded. They just do,” she said.
Willoughby, who favored allowing IEP recordings when he ran for School Board, said recent phone calls with his inner circle of teaching friends raised concerns. He said the discourse around the topic has changed to include wrongfully sharing recordings on social media.
Snodgrass, meanwhile, said recordings foster an environment of “intentionality.”
“I think we owe it to our parents,” Snodgrass said. “I hear the concern that our teachers are expressing, and I want to honor that, but I have faith in their professionalism.”
Sasser said she recognizes the tension surrounding the issue but errs on the side of the strong, unified community voice in favor of recordings. “When our most impacted communities tell us they need something, we have to lean in and listen to that,” she said.
During public comment, 10 people came forward to urge the board to allow recordings. Two moms said they had not planned to attend the meeting, but, after hearing the board’s discussion online, they changed out of their pajamas to voice their concerns in person.
Another speaker, Robyn Schelp, provided an update on the legislature regarding recordings. She said it is disappointing parents were told they would need to get a law passed to make this happen.
“This should have been a simple policy change,” she said.
Responding to comments about recordings potentially being used to target teachers on social media, Christina Ingoglia said she has “no interest, energy or time to play ‘gotcha.’” Ingoglia said her daughter’s most recent IEP was six hours long and the document was 25 pages.
“It is clear to me that most of you haven’t been in an IEP because I challenge you to remember everything from those six hours,” she said.
Two other votes related to the one keeping the ban in place passed unanimously: to remove language that allows the superintendent to secretly record; and to clarify the phrase “applicable laws” so that it includes but is not limited to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Attendance areas update
The board voted unanimously on a plan to redraw Parkade Elementary School’s attendance areas Monday night.
Phase 1 is set to address the current 130% capacity at Parkade and will be implemented fall 2021. This phase will move the northern section of the Parkade attendance zone to Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary School, which is at 69% capacity. The change will move Parkade and Alpha Hart to 92% and 96% capacities, respectively, the Missourian has reported.
Phase 2 will address Rock Bridge Elementary School in fall 2022, and Phase 3 will take into consideration the opening of the new Russell Boulevard Elementary School addition in fall 2023. Karen Daniel-Hamberg presented two revised plans for phases 2 and 3 based on community feedback.
The board will vote June 14 on phases 2 and 3.
COVID-19 update
Stiepleman said that the district is encouraged by current rates and that mitigation efforts and vaccine progress have allowed it to move into its next phase of reopening.
More than 70% of district employees have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, he said.
The rate of cases on the seven-day tracker Monday was 3.6 cases per 10,000 people. He noted this placed Columbia in the “substantial transmission” category, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“COVID is better, but COVID is not done,” Stiepleman said.
Stiepleman reiterated the district’s May 3 announcement on easing restrictions, including: a shortened quarantine timeline from 14 to 10 days if the person is asymptomatic; encouraging but not requiring that masks be worn outdoors; and allowing a limited number of visitors inside the buildings. Masks will still be required on school buses and inside.
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May 11, 2021 at 11:00AM
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CPS won't change policy to allow parents to record meetings on education plans - Columbia Missourian
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