Agenda: 11/19/10
1. Approve Minutes
2. Reports
3. 60% Motion
4. Visitors Motion
5. Notes & New Business
Council Minutes 11/12/10
“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds”
- Francis Bacon
1. Approval of Minutes
· Corrections: changes made to Moderator report and bullying motion
2. Reports:
· [A-Mod]: I’ll be moderating today since Megan’s out. I’ll be contacting the Lebanon Council soon to set up a kind of meeting with them.
· [PR]: Our article in the Broadside will go in the holiday issue. Check online.
· [Curric]: Still discussing x-days.
· [OEC]: Looking at National Association of Student Councils, bringing bylaw revisions in a few weeks.
· [SL]: Thanks to those who recycled, but to improve this system next time we’ll put out an announcement earlier. More feedback on surveys?
· [SA]: Dodgeball starts next week, sports team day for winter carnival next Friday.
· [MI]: Course assignments will be next Thursday.
· [Class Committees]
o Freshmen: Looking for advisors!
o Sophomores: Yankee Candle forms due, spread word about meetings
o Juniors: sell poinsettias!
o Seniors: Pie sale coming up, Dartmouth Football parking
· [Emily]: Come watch Cross Country girls race this weekend!
· [Peter]: Indoor soccer tournament this weekend
3. Bylaw Notifications
· [Carl]: OEC bringing changes to bylaws in 3 weeks, improving new/tuition student election process, general “clean up”.
4. Bullying Motion
· Recap: Motion reads… I move to recommend to the administration to make the minimum school response for bullying (physical, verbal, emotional, cyber) a 1-day suspension.
· Discussion
o The Board is working on a policy, we need to make them agree
o This motion could save lives and make history in the school
o An investigation is still required, no one is automatically suspended
o Why is this only a recommendation?
- Council cannot make a minimum school response to anything
- Administration/Board are looking this over anyway
· Amendment
o Motion: I move to strike “recommend” from the motion.
o [Mr. Bourne]: We’ve made minimum responses before (Academic Integrity Policy), so let’s just make this a motion.
· Discussion on the Amendment
o Motions automatically go to the administration, stands stronger
o This motion will have to be reviewed by the Board, big P policy
o All motions are technically recommendations, the DSB looks over our handbook every year and will catch any violations
o Motion: I move to close debate.
Debate Closes
· Discussion on the Amended Motion
o Motion: I move to close debate.
Debate Closes
Motion Passes
5. J-Comm Discussion
· [Sasha]: Mr. Seibel brought a motion to make J-Comm all-school inclusive, the motion failed, Mr. Murphy mentioned how we should improve our democracy, going to try to change the way J-Comm is formed, we need to include others and represent a more diverse group of students
· Discussion/Questions
o What would the procedure be? Are Council members allowed?
- 50 meaningful signatures, election committee (Dean, Principal, Council leadership), council members allowed
o This would be a no brainer if it came as a motion
o Grade representatives?
- Yes, and staff reps
o How would new freshmen class be involved?
- Not sure, probably best to have new students learn the school first
- Aren’t freshmen already on J-Comm? They’re unbiased
o Community members should be involved
o Can we spread this J-Comm mission statement to school community
o New and tuition students should be involved, maybe in elections?
- Need to be knowledgeable, how much can you learn in a month?
o We should just have a set J-Comm election date in October
o U.S. government model = J-Comm would need to be separate from Council
- Is that realistic for a high school?
o Worried about the time this process would take and then result in a zero-case year
6. Notes & New Business
· Motion: I move to make it so that tests can only count for up to 60% of your quarter grade.
o [Carl]: I think it can be a little ridiculous that up to 80% of your grade can depend on a couple tests and this way the work you do for homework and other assignments can hold some weight.
· Discussion
o How often does this occur?
- Math classes for sure, evidence of it happening
o [Carl] This would refer to the “tests/projects” section of your grade
o Some classes only use tests as a grade assessment
o Homework takes up so much time yet it counts for so little
o This might prevent teachers from gravitating towards more emphasis on tests
o We are a college preparatory high school where there may be a lot of testing
o There is no educationally compelling reason to change the policy
o Can we dictate how teachers determine these percentages?
o Motion: I move to adjourn.
Meeting Adjourns
