{
  "id": "2024-10-08_regular",
  "meeting_date": "2024-10-08",
  "meeting_type": "regular",
  "meeting_types": [
    "regular"
  ],
  "title": "Conroe ISD Board Meeting — October 8, 2024",
  "date_display": "October 8, 2024",
  "type_display": "Regular Meeting",
  "types_display": [
    "Regular Meeting"
  ],
  "item_count": 0,
  "has_agenda": false,
  "has_notes": true,
  "pdf_filename": null,
  "packet_url": null,
  "generated_at": "2026-06-18T19:45:21.372305Z",
  "highlights": "",
  "sections": [],
  "agenda_breakdown_md": "",
  "meeting_notes_md": "# Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2024-10-08\n*Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes*\n*Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.*\n*Generated 2026-03-28 17:26 UTC*\n\n---\n\n# Unofficial Meeting Notes\n## Conroe Independent School District – School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)\n### Regular Meeting – October 8, 2024\n\n---\n\n*These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript and may contain errors or omissions.*\n\n---\n\n## Attendees\n\n### SHAC Members (Voting)\n- **Dr. Carlton Todd** – Principal, Stockton Junior High (10th year in district)\n- **Sabrina Yamani** – Parent, The Woodlands feeder\n- **Jennifer Blackman** – Parent, College Park feeder\n- **Dr. Susan O'Neal** – Pediatrician, community member (3 kids through CISD)\n- **Lindsay Massie** – Parent, Grand Oaks feeder\n- **Shannon Hall** – Health Science Teacher, College Park\n- **Burton Maddox** – Parent (feeder not clearly stated)\n- **Holly Moore** – Parent, Grand Oaks feeder\n- **Ryan Sorus** – Parent, Grand Oaks feeder\n- **Janice Lehel** – Crisis Intervention Specialist, CISD\n- **Ashley Heinen** – Parent, The Woodlands feeder\n\n### District Staff/Advisors Present\n- **Dr. Medford** – Deputy Superintendent\n- **Dr. Merl (Murl)** – Meeting facilitator/SHAC liaison\n- **Dr. Upshaw** – Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning\n- **Chris (last name unclear)** – Coordinator, PE and Health\n- **Chris Poic** – Assistant Superintendent for High Schools\n- **Lindsay Taylor** – Mental Health Specialist\n- **Barbara Robertson** – Director of Health Services\n- **Robin Hughes** – Director of Child Nutrition\n- **Chris McCord** – Assistant Superintendent of Operations\n- **Tiffany Roger** – Coordinator of Guidance and Counseling\n- **Toa Taylor** – Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services\n- **Matt Blakelock** – Chief of Police\n- **Shelley Winkler** – Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools\n- **Sarah Blakelock** – Director of Communications\n\n---\n\n## Welcome & Opening Remarks\n\nDr. 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.\n\n---\n\n## SHAC Overview Presentation (Dr. Upshaw)\n\nDr. Upshaw provided an overview of SHAC's purpose and governing documents:\n\n### Governing Documents\n- **Texas Education Code §28.004** – Primary state-level governing statute\n- **District Policy** – Legal and local policies interpreting the Education Code\n- **SHAC Bylaws** – Revised in spring 2024; copies provided to members\n- **Resources**: Texas Department of State Health Services SHAC Guide and TEA SHAC FAQs\n\n### Key SHAC Responsibilities (8–10 Major Topic Areas)\n1. **Health Education Hours** – Recommending hours of instruction for health education in K–8; CISD currently requires health education for high school graduation\n2. **Health Policy & Curriculum** – Physical health (obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes), mental health concerns, physical education/activity, nutrition services, parental involvement, substance abuse instruction\n3. **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)\n4. **Daily Recess Policy** – Recommendations for elementary school recess (reviewed approximately 6–7 years ago)\n5. **Mental Health Services** – Body image, self-worth, relationships, conflict resolution, comprehensive school counseling program; mental health toolkit developed by previous SHAC\n6. **Safe and Healthy School Environment**\n7. **School Employee Wellness**\n8. **Suicide Prevention & Risky Behaviors** – Increasing parent awareness of warning signs; board-identified priority area\n9. **Community Programs** – Example: AED defibrillators donated to schools through SHAC subcommittee work\n10. **Child Abuse, Family Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Trafficking** – Ensuring age-appropriate, relevant curriculum delivery\n\nDr. 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.\n\n---\n\n## Election of Parent Officers\n\n### Co-Chair\n- **Nominated:** Holly Moore (self-nominated/volunteered)\n- **Vote:** Motion made, seconded; **approved unanimously** by show of hands\n\n### Secretary\n- **Nominated:** Ryan Sorus (volunteered)\n- **Vote:** Motion made, seconded; **approved unanimously** by show of hands\n\n---\n\n## Approval of Minutes – June 11, 2024 Meeting\n\n- Minutes were sent to members in advance\n- **Vote:** Motion made, seconded; **approved unanimously** by show of hands\n\n---\n\n## Community Feedback Report\n\nSeven emails were received through the SHAC website/email:\n1. **Membership question** – Addressed (membership determined by board member and superintendent nominations)\n2. **Maintenance/custodial request** – Forwarded to appropriate department\n3. **Wellness Plan question** – Regarding food/activity as punishment and reward; responses provided\n4. **Counselor concern** – Parent reach-out regarding their child; directed to appropriate counselor\n5. **Triennial assessment and Smart Snack issue** – Addressed\n6. **Cell phone concern** – Community member suggesting a ban on cell phones in all schools\n7. **Immunization question** – Forwarded to campus nurse\n\n---\n\n## Consideration of House Bill 3908 (Tucker's Law) Curriculum\n\n**Presenter:** Lindsay Taylor, Mental Health Specialist\n\n### Background\n- Tucker's Law requires annual education for grades 6–12 covering four topics:\n  1. **Suicide prevention**\n  2. **Prevention of abuse/addiction of fentanyl**\n  3. **Access to local school and community resources** (and processes for accessing them)\n  4. **Health education on substance use and abuse**, including youth-specific\n\n- Resources were approved by the previous SHAC, but the **curriculum itself** was not yet voted on\n\n### Suicide Prevention Component\n- September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; toolkit distributed to counselors and principals\n- **Conroe Cares lessons** support foundational skills (problem-solving, conflict management)\n- **\"Are You Okay?\"** program used at secondary level\n\n### Fentanyl Education Component\n- **CATCH program** selected for fentanyl education in grades 6–12\n- **Concern from previous SHAC:** Slide 8 in the 6th-grade presentation explicitly references \"talk of killing themselves\" – considered potentially too explicit for 6th graders\n- **Solution:** For 6th grade, omit Slide 8 and supplement with the \"Are You Okay?\" presentation; for grades 7–12, use the full presentation\n\n### Fentanyl in Schools\n- **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.\n- **Narcan/Naloxone:** Available in every campus clinic, athletic trainer offices, and secondary campus police offices\n\n### TEKS Requirements for 6th Grade (Dr. Upshaw)\nDr. Upshaw clarified that 6th-grade TEKS **require** discussion of:\n- Suicide risk and protective factors as identified by CDC\n- Prevention and importance of telling parents/trusted adults about warning signs in others\n- The role of healthy self-concepts in avoiding self-harming behaviors\n- Suicide prevention resources (e.g., National Suicide Prevention Hotline)\n\n### Vote on Tucker's Law Curriculum\n- **Motion:** Ryan Sorus\n- **Second:** Janice Lehel\n- **Discussion:** None\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously** by show of hands\n\n---\n\n## Subcommittees\n\nTwo subcommittees identified for the year:\n\n1. **Physical Activity and Fitness** (required standing committee)\n2. **Suicide Prevention Awareness and Education** (board-selected emphasis for this year)\n   - Builds on last year's mental health toolkit\n   - Board asked SHAC to explore additional strategies to decrease suicide and promote positive mental health\n\nMembers 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.\n\n---\n\n## Wellness Plan Review & Work Session\n\n### Background\n- The current Wellness Plan (posted online) is not comprehensive; the first version was developed during COVID\n- Wellness Plans are reviewed every 3 years per federal requirements\n- A **triennial assessment** was completed at the end of last year\n- 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\n\n### Federal Requirements Context (Barbara Robertson)\n- The Wellness Plan is required because CISD participates in the **free and reduced lunch program**\n- Governed by **FFA Legal and FFA Local** district policies\n- Focus areas are specifically **healthy eating and physical activity** (not mental health, which falls under other SHAC work)\n- Based on USDA regulations\n\n### WellSAT Assessment\n- The district used the **WellSAT** tool (through the Rudd Foundation) to evaluate the current Wellness Plan against a model district policy\n- Some areas scored zero (e.g., carbonated beverages not mentioned)\n- The new draft attempts to address gaps without adding excessive goals\n- WellSAT results were **not posted** on the website but Dr. Merl committed to sharing the data with committee members\n\n### Policy Goals\n- **13 goals** are listed in board policy (FFA Local) – all must be included\n- Additional goals can be added; objectives and activities can be added or removed\n- 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\n\n### Work Session\n- Members divided into **4 table groups** to review and provide feedback on the draft Wellness Plan:\n  - **Group 1:** Dr. Todd's table\n  - **Group 2:** Dr. O'Neal's table\n  - **Group 3:** Holly Moore's table\n  - **Group 4:** Ryan Sorus's table\n- Groups worked for approximately 20 minutes with district staff circulating to answer questions\n\n### Revised Plan for Completing the Review\nDue to time constraints, Dr. Merl announced a **change of plans**:\n- He will email all members with names, email addresses, and group assignments\n- Groups will continue their review via email/Zoom/Teams and submit changes **by end of next week**\n- Dr. Merl will compile all changes into a **revised draft with changes in a different color**\n- The revised draft will be sent back to the full committee for individual review\n- **Target:** Final review and approval at the **January SHAC meeting**\n- Board presentation likely in **February** (no hard time constraint)\n\n---\n\n## Communication\n\n- Dr. Merl will distribute a contact list so all SHAC members can communicate with each other\n- Members are asked to share information with the full group to maintain transparency\n\n---\n\n## Future Agenda Items Discussed\n\n1. **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).\n\n2. **Cell Phone Policy Revisit** – A parent requested revisiting the cell phone policy, citing:\n   - New research and studies since the original policy was adopted\n   - Other districts trying new approaches (e.g., removing teacher discretion on classroom cell phone use)\n   - Difficulty for parents to enforce phone restrictions when some teachers use phones as classroom tools\n   - Not requesting a full rewrite, but potential tweaks that could have \"profound impacts\"\n   - Dr. Merl confirmed this can be reviewed as a group\n\n3. **Quality/Type of Physical Exercise** – A member requested discussion of:\n   - Types of exercise provided in PE classes\n   - Structured recess activities and availability of equipment (kickballs, footballs, etc.) to encourage actual physical activity rather than sedentary behavior\n   - Dr. Merl noted this falls under the Physical Activity and Fitness subcommittee\n\n---\n\n## Adjournment\n\n- **Motion to adjourn:** Holly Moore\n- **Second:** Ryan Sorus\n- **Vote: Approved unanimously**\n\n---\n\n## Summary of All Votes\n\n| Item | Motion By | Second By | Result |\n|------|-----------|-----------|--------|\n| Co-Chair: Holly Moore | — | — | **Approved unanimously** |\n| Secretary: Ryan Sorus | — | — | **Approved unanimously** |\n| June 11 Meeting Minutes | — | — | **Approved unanimously** |\n| Tucker's Law (HB 3908) Curriculum | Ryan Sorus | Janice Lehel | **Approved unanimously** |\n| Adjournment | Holly Moore | Ryan Sorus | **Approved unanimously** |\n\n---\n\n## Key Action Items & Next Steps\n\n| Action Item | Responsible | Deadline |\n|-------------|-------------|----------|\n| Send group contact list and Wellness Plan group assignments | Dr. Merl | Next day (Oct. 9) |\n| Share WellSAT assessment data with committee | Dr. Merl | TBD |\n| Complete group Wellness Plan review and submit changes | All groups | End of next week (~Oct. 18) |\n| Compile changes into revised draft (color-coded) | Dr. Merl | ~1 week after receiving feedback |\n| Distribute revised draft for individual review | Dr. Merl | Late October/November |\n| Think about subcommittee preferences and ideas | All members | Before January meeting |\n| Final Wellness Plan review and approval | Full SHAC | January 2025 meeting |\n| Wellness Plan presentation to Board | Dr. Merl | February 2025 (estimated) |"
}