January 23, 2024 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2024-01-23
Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
Generated 2026-03-28 16:33 UTC
Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe ISD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) Meeting
January 23, 2024 – Regular Meeting
These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript of the meeting.
Called to Order: 4:33 p.m.
Co-Chairs: Bryce Spear (Parent Co-Chair) and Edith Upshaw (School District Co-Chair)
Members Present (as identified in roll call): Lance Miracle, Brent Maddox, Elizabeth Morrison, Tony Lael, Samantha Toric, Amber Bentley, Holly Morr, Melanie Benoit, MaryAnn Horton, Lindsay Taylor, April Kiry, Paula Pesci, Clinton Dorth, Samir, Bridget Hodge, Robert Garcia, Matt Blakelock, Mila Cobbler, Amber Dunigan, Erica Falcon, Carrie Welch, Jennifer Blackman
Approval of Minutes
- Minutes from the previous meeting were distributed in advance and posted within 10 days as required.
- Motion to approve: Made and seconded.
- Vote: Unanimous approval.
Community Contacts Since Last Meeting
Three community emails were received:
1. Lice Infestation Concern: A parent raised concerns about lice management at their school. Referred to Mrs. Robertson (District Head Nurse). Existing processes are in place for notification and management.
2. Smartwatch Policy Definition: A parent questioned what constitutes a "smartwatch" under the new district cell phone/smartwatch policy. The district does not currently have a district-wide definition. The smartwatch component was added by a district-wide committee, not by SHAC. One campus shared their working definition: a device that is either cellular-enabled or connected to Wi-Fi. Co-chairs will coordinate with Lisa Garrison on how SHAC can assist and bring it back at the next meeting.
3. Shared Headphone Hygiene: A parent raised concerns about community-use headphones/earbuds being shared among students. This is a campus-based management decision. Health services noted that hearing screening headphones are wiped between students, but classroom headphone hygiene is managed by individual teachers.
Subcommittee Reports
Bylaws Committee
- Chair: Bryce Spear
- No significant items currently needing amendment. Will address concerns as they arise.
Compliance Committee
- Chair: Bryce Spear
- Opt-In Policy Update: The SHAC recommendation to make the current opt-in process a formal board policy was presented to the Board and passed unanimously. The Board will now draft policy language, present it at a future meeting, allow public comment, then vote — expected to be finalized within a couple of months.
- The committee reviewed a compliance tracker (color-coded green/yellow/red) mapping Texas Education Code requirements to SHAC responsibilities. The committee is largely in good shape (mostly green/yellow).
- Three focus areas identified:
1. Opioids – Curriculum on dangers of opioids/fentanyl, including administration of opioid antagonists. Reviewing DSHS data and local resources.
2. Vaping – Not specifically in Texas Education Code but identified as a growing campus issue. Plan to gather data and identify supplemental resources.
3. Daily Recess (K-8) – Requested campus-level data on minutes of recess and PE to evaluate consistency and adequacy across campuses.
Membership Committee
- Chair: Bryce Spear
- Did not meet; most activity occurs in spring/summer. Plans to convene in February via Zoom.
Mental Health Committee
- Chair: MaryAnn Horton
- Held first meeting and established sub-groups:
- Girls and Academic Success (Chair: Jennifer Blackman) – Supporting girls in STEM, math scores
- Staff Well-Being (Chairs: MaryAnn Horton, Jennifer Blackman, Dr. Kesy, Christa Casio)
- Bullying (Chair: Dr. Spear) – Prevention and documentation; meeting being organized
- Suicide and Anxiety (Chair: Lindsay Taylor) – Covers testing anxiety, general anxiety, suicide prevention
- Divorce Support (Chair: April Haren) – Supporting students experiencing parental divorce
- All sub-groups are open for additional members.
Physical Fitness and Activity Committee
- Chair: Amber Dunigan (parent representative)
- Met to review expectations and goals. Reviewing best practices in CISD physical education. Goal to update, evaluate relevance, and expand if needed.
SHAC Communication Discussion
Subcommittee Transparency
- Jennifer Blackman raised the topic of making subcommittee work more transparent, initially proposing both minutes and recordings of subcommittee meetings be made available to the public.
- Discussion highlights:
- Co-chairs clarified that subcommittees are work groups with no independent authority; all outward-facing recommendations must come before full SHAC.
- State law requires audio/video recording and posting of full SHAC meetings only, not subcommittees.
- Several members expressed that recordings could inhibit free discussion in working sessions.
- A compliance subcommittee summary email was praised as a good model for updates.
- Motion (amended): Subcommittees will produce meeting minutes/summaries to be shared with the full SHAC (not posted publicly).
- Vote: Motion passed. Two abstentions noted; no nay votes recorded.
Subcommittee Meeting Calendar
- Discussion about creating a shared calendar or document with upcoming subcommittee meeting dates and Zoom links.
- No formal motion made; co-chairs agreed to troubleshoot solutions and revisit. In the interim, members can request to be added to specific subcommittee distribution lists.
General Communication Protocols
- Co-chairs asked that all communications CC both Spear and Upshaw.
- Anything outward-facing representing SHAC should be run through the co-chairs before distribution.
- Co-chairs committed to being aligned when presenting items to the Board.
- Point of contact for data/information: District liaison (Dr. Upshaw) is the primary channel; subcommittee leads for topic-specific requests.
Staff Wellness Survey Discussion
- A survey distributed by a parent volunteer on the staff well-being subcommittee generated some community backlash.
- Co-chair Spear provided context: only one parent volunteered for staff wellness and was trying to gather initial input; emphasized good intent and the need for grace toward volunteers.
- Discussion about proper survey methodology, district procedures for data collection, and the upcoming "Thought Exchange" software the district is implementing as a potential tool for future surveys.
- Members agreed that items representing SHAC publicly should be coordinated through co-chairs going forward.
Bullying Policy and Procedures Update
- Dr. Upshaw presented context on bullying response: education/prevention side (Guidance & Counseling) and administrative/investigation side.
- Artifacts on bullying processes and flowcharts were shared prior to the meeting.
- Brent Maddox raised several concerns:
- Lack of closed-loop communication back to parents (particularly victims' families) after reports
- Whether policies apply when staff are the alleged perpetrators
- Stay-away agreements not following students across campuses
- How parents can verify the process is working and being taken seriously
- Administrators responded:
- Stay-away agreements are now electronic (as of this school year) and transfer between campuses
- Principals in feeder systems communicate during transition meetings
- Parents can file formal complaint forms that escalate to the superintendent's office
- The district has restorative justice processes but details would need to be presented by the appropriate department
- Maddox volunteered to join the bullying sub-group of the Mental Health committee to work on these issues further.
88th Texas Legislature Updates
Bryce Spear presented new legislative requirements impacting SHAC:
| Bill | Summary |
|------|---------|
| HB 3144 | October designated as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month |
| SB 629 | Districts must adopt policy on maintenance, administration, and disposal of opioid antagonists |
| SB 294 | Expanded language on epinephrine auto-injectors to include medications for "respiratory distress" (broader than asthma) |
| HB 1506 | Increased accountability for seizure management plans and mandatory reporting |
| HB 4375 | AED instruction now required as part of CPR curriculum |
| HB 3908 (Tucker's Law) | Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week = last week of October (coincides with Red Ribbon Week); SHAC must recommend research-based curriculum on opioid/fentanyl dangers |
Upcoming Community Events
- Tonight: Healthy Relationships/Teen Dating Violence presentation by Montgomery County Women's Center at the JET Center
- January 30: Tessa Stucky – "For the Sake of Our Youth: Parenting in a Tech-Obsessed World" at The Woodlands High School
- February 6: Same Tessa Stucky presentation at the JET Teaching/Training Center (6:30–8:00 p.m.)
Volunteer Opportunity
- Science Fair Judging – Thursday (January 25), hosted by Education for Tomorrow Alliance. Three time slots: High school (7:45 a.m.), 8th grade (9:30 a.m.), 7th grade (2:15 p.m.). No science background required. QR code provided for sign-up.
Future Agenda Items Raised
1. Language Access/Interpreter Policy: Brent Maddox raised the concern that there is no formal district policy requiring a Spanish-speaking (or other language) staff member on every campus. Shared an example of a young Spanish-speaking student who broke her arm with no one available to communicate. Discussion noted:
- 23% of CISD students are Limited English Proficient; 85 languages represented
- Bilingual staff is a best practice but not mandated district-wide policy
- Members argued this is a health and safety issue, particularly for young children (K-2)
- Co-chairs agreed to add this to a future agenda for further information and discussion
2. CISD Wellness Policy Review: Dr. Upshaw noted the state-required wellness policy review will be coming up, requiring approximately two meetings. Covers food of minimal nutritional value, health services, and physical education/recess requirements.
3. 5G/EMF Towers on Campuses: A member requested revisiting concerns about 5G towers on school property and EMF sensitivity, citing potential health effects including anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, and sleep disruption. Also raised concerns about mandatory online testing for students with Wi-Fi sensitivity. Co-chairs agreed to add to a future agenda.
Adjournment
- Motion to adjourn: Made and seconded.
- Vote: Unanimous.
- Meeting adjourned.
Note: This meeting was a School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) meeting, not a Board of Trustees meeting. SHAC is an advisory body that makes recommendations to the Conroe ISD Board. A quorum check was conducted during the meeting; quorum was confirmed to be present for the subcommittee minutes vote.