October 8, 2024 — Regular Meeting

Name: October 8, 2024 — Regular Meeting
Start: 2024-10-08

Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees — Regular Meeting

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Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2024-10-08

Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes

Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.

Generated 2026-03-28 17:26 UTC

Unofficial Meeting Notes

Conroe Independent School District – School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)

Regular Meeting – October 8, 2024

These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.

Attendees

SHAC Members (Voting)

Dr. Carlton Todd – Principal, Stockton Junior High (10th year in district)
Sabrina Yamani – Parent, The Woodlands feeder
Jennifer Blackman – Parent, College Park feeder
Dr. Susan O'Neal – Pediatrician, community member (3 kids through CISD)
Lindsay Massie – Parent, Grand Oaks feeder
Shannon Hall – Health Science Teacher, College Park
Burton Maddox – Parent (feeder not clearly stated)
Holly Moore – Parent, Grand Oaks feeder
Ryan Sorus – Parent, Grand Oaks feeder
Janice Lehel – Crisis Intervention Specialist, CISD
Ashley Heinen – Parent, The Woodlands feeder

District Staff/Advisors Present

Dr. Medford – Deputy Superintendent
Dr. Merl (Murl) – Meeting facilitator/SHAC liaison
Dr. Upshaw – Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Chris (last name unclear) – Coordinator, PE and Health
Chris Poic – Assistant Superintendent for High Schools
Lindsay Taylor – Mental Health Specialist
Barbara Robertson – Director of Health Services
Robin Hughes – Director of Child Nutrition
Chris McCord – Assistant Superintendent of Operations
Tiffany Roger – Coordinator of Guidance and Counseling
Toa Taylor – Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services
Matt Blakelock – Chief of Police
Shelley Winkler – Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools
Sarah Blakelock – Director of Communications

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Dr. Medford welcomed the committee and thanked members for their time and commitment. He noted that district staff are present to support the committee's work throughout the year.

SHAC Overview Presentation (Dr. Upshaw)

Dr. Upshaw provided an overview of SHAC's purpose and governing documents:

Governing Documents

Texas Education Code §28.004 – Primary state-level governing statute
District Policy – Legal and local policies interpreting the Education Code
SHAC Bylaws – Revised in spring 2024; copies provided to members
Resources: Texas Department of State Health Services SHAC Guide and TEA SHAC FAQs

Key SHAC Responsibilities (8–10 Major Topic Areas)

1. Health Education Hours – Recommending hours of instruction for health education in K–8; CISD currently requires health education for high school graduation

2. Health Policy & Curriculum – Physical health (obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes), mental health concerns, physical education/activity, nutrition services, parental involvement, substance abuse instruction

3. Human Sexuality Instruction – Age-appropriate methods and grade levels; parent permission requirement (legislature let this expire in August 2024, but SHAC recommended keeping it; board approved)

4. Daily Recess Policy – Recommendations for elementary school recess (reviewed approximately 6–7 years ago)

5. Mental Health Services – Body image, self-worth, relationships, conflict resolution, comprehensive school counseling program; mental health toolkit developed by previous SHAC

6. Safe and Healthy School Environment

7. School Employee Wellness

8. Suicide Prevention & Risky Behaviors – Increasing parent awareness of warning signs; board-identified priority area

9. Community Programs – Example: AED defibrillators donated to schools through SHAC subcommittee work

10. Child Abuse, Family Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Trafficking – Ensuring age-appropriate, relevant curriculum delivery

Dr. Upshaw emphasized the importance of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in determining what content is introduced at each grade level, noting that some topics parents may question are state-mandated at specific grade levels. SHAC's role is to help determine how content is delivered, not whether it is delivered when mandated by TEKS.

Election of Parent Officers

Co-Chair

Nominated: Holly Moore (self-nominated/volunteered)
Vote: Motion made, seconded; approved unanimously by show of hands

Secretary

Nominated: Ryan Sorus (volunteered)
Vote: Motion made, seconded; approved unanimously by show of hands

Approval of Minutes – June 11, 2024 Meeting

Minutes were sent to members in advance
Vote: Motion made, seconded; approved unanimously by show of hands

Community Feedback Report

Seven emails were received through the SHAC website/email:

1. Membership question – Addressed (membership determined by board member and superintendent nominations)

2. Maintenance/custodial request – Forwarded to appropriate department

3. Wellness Plan question – Regarding food/activity as punishment and reward; responses provided

4. Counselor concern – Parent reach-out regarding their child; directed to appropriate counselor

5. Triennial assessment and Smart Snack issue – Addressed

6. Cell phone concern – Community member suggesting a ban on cell phones in all schools

7. Immunization question – Forwarded to campus nurse

Consideration of House Bill 3908 (Tucker's Law) Curriculum

Presenter: Lindsay Taylor, Mental Health Specialist

Background

Tucker's Law requires annual education for grades 6–12 covering four topics:

1. Suicide prevention

2. Prevention of abuse/addiction of fentanyl

3. Access to local school and community resources (and processes for accessing them)

4. Health education on substance use and abuse, including youth-specific

Resources were approved by the previous SHAC, but the curriculum itself was not yet voted on

Suicide Prevention Component

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; toolkit distributed to counselors and principals
Conroe Cares lessons support foundational skills (problem-solving, conflict management)
"Are You Okay?" program used at secondary level

Fentanyl Education Component

CATCH program selected for fentanyl education in grades 6–12
Concern from previous SHAC: Slide 8 in the 6th-grade presentation explicitly references "talk of killing themselves" – considered potentially too explicit for 6th graders
Solution: For 6th grade, omit Slide 8 and supplement with the "Are You Okay?" presentation; for grades 7–12, use the full presentation

Fentanyl in Schools

Chief Blakelock reported very few fentanyl incidents in CISD schools; a few cases of trace amounts found in seized narcotics, but not a regular occurrence. However, fentanyl is present in the community.
Narcan/Naloxone: Available in every campus clinic, athletic trainer offices, and secondary campus police offices

TEKS Requirements for 6th Grade (Dr. Upshaw)

Dr. Upshaw clarified that 6th-grade TEKS require discussion of:

Suicide risk and protective factors as identified by CDC
Prevention and importance of telling parents/trusted adults about warning signs in others
The role of healthy self-concepts in avoiding self-harming behaviors
Suicide prevention resources (e.g., National Suicide Prevention Hotline)

Vote on Tucker's Law Curriculum

Motion: Ryan Sorus
Second: Janice Lehel
Discussion: None
Vote: Approved unanimously by show of hands

Subcommittees

Two subcommittees identified for the year:

1. Physical Activity and Fitness (required standing committee)

2. Suicide Prevention Awareness and Education (board-selected emphasis for this year)

- Builds on last year's mental health toolkit

- Board asked SHAC to explore additional strategies to decrease suicide and promote positive mental health

Members were asked to think about which committee(s) they want to join. Given the small group size, the option of all members participating in both committees was raised. Members may also suggest additional committees.

Wellness Plan Review & Work Session

Background

The current Wellness Plan (posted online) is not comprehensive; the first version was developed during COVID
Wellness Plans are reviewed every 3 years per federal requirements
A triennial assessment was completed at the end of last year
A new, more comprehensive draft Wellness Plan was developed by Dr. Merl, Barbara Robertson (Health Services), Robin Hughes (Child Nutrition), and the PE/Health coordinator

Federal Requirements Context (Barbara Robertson)

The Wellness Plan is required because CISD participates in the free and reduced lunch program
Governed by FFA Legal and FFA Local district policies
Focus areas are specifically healthy eating and physical activity (not mental health, which falls under other SHAC work)
Based on USDA regulations

WellSAT Assessment

The district used the WellSAT tool (through the Rudd Foundation) to evaluate the current Wellness Plan against a model district policy
Some areas scored zero (e.g., carbonated beverages not mentioned)
The new draft attempts to address gaps without adding excessive goals
WellSAT results were not posted on the website but Dr. Merl committed to sharing the data with committee members

Policy Goals

13 goals are listed in board policy (FFA Local) – all must be included
Additional goals can be added; objectives and activities can be added or removed
A member raised concern that 13 goals may be too many; Dr. Merl acknowledged this and suggested it could be addressed in a future board policy review, though not with this current plan cycle

Work Session

Members divided into 4 table groups to review and provide feedback on the draft Wellness Plan:

- Group 1: Dr. Todd's table

- Group 2: Dr. O'Neal's table

- Group 3: Holly Moore's table

- Group 4: Ryan Sorus's table

Groups worked for approximately 20 minutes with district staff circulating to answer questions

Revised Plan for Completing the Review

Due to time constraints, Dr. Merl announced a change of plans:

He will email all members with names, email addresses, and group assignments
Groups will continue their review via email/Zoom/Teams and submit changes by end of next week
Dr. Merl will compile all changes into a revised draft with changes in a different color
The revised draft will be sent back to the full committee for individual review
Target: Final review and approval at the January SHAC meeting
Board presentation likely in February (no hard time constraint)

Communication

Dr. Merl will distribute a contact list so all SHAC members can communicate with each other
Members are asked to share information with the full group to maintain transparency

Future Agenda Items Discussed

1. Technology and Student Health – A member asked about SHAC's role with technology in the district. Dr. Merl explained that technology issues related to student health fall within SHAC's purview; other technology issues may be referred to independent committees (as was done with the cell phone policy committee last year).

2. Cell Phone Policy Revisit – A parent requested revisiting the cell phone policy, citing:

- New research and studies since the original policy was adopted

- Other districts trying new approaches (e.g., removing teacher discretion on classroom cell phone use)

- Difficulty for parents to enforce phone restrictions when some teachers use phones as classroom tools

- Not requesting a full rewrite, but potential tweaks that could have "profound impacts"

- Dr. Merl confirmed this can be reviewed as a group

3. Quality/Type of Physical Exercise – A member requested discussion of:

- Types of exercise provided in PE classes

- Structured recess activities and availability of equipment (kickballs, footballs, etc.) to encourage actual physical activity rather than sedentary behavior

- Dr. Merl noted this falls under the Physical Activity and Fitness subcommittee

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn: Holly Moore
Second: Ryan Sorus
Vote: Approved unanimously

Summary of All Votes

|------|-----------|-----------|--------|

| Co-Chair: Holly Moore | — | — | Approved unanimously |

| Secretary: Ryan Sorus | — | — | Approved unanimously |

| June 11 Meeting Minutes | — | — | Approved unanimously |

Key Action Items & Next Steps

| Action Item | Responsible | Deadline |

|-------------|-------------|----------|

| Send group contact list and Wellness Plan group assignments | Dr. Merl | Next day (Oct. 9) |

| Share WellSAT assessment data with committee | Dr. Merl | TBD |

| Complete group Wellness Plan review and submit changes | All groups | End of next week (~Oct. 18) |

| Compile changes into revised draft (color-coded) | Dr. Merl | ~1 week after receiving feedback |

| Distribute revised draft for individual review | Dr. Merl | Late October/November |

| Think about subcommittee preferences and ideas | All members | Before January meeting |

| Final Wellness Plan review and approval | Full SHAC | January 2025 meeting |

| Wellness Plan presentation to Board | Dr. Merl | February 2025 (estimated) |