School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)

Agenda

Download the September Meeting Agenda

Location:
Superintendent’s Conference Room 5055
8115 Gatehouse Road 
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

Minutes

Download the September Meeting Minutes

Call to Order meeting at 7:08 pm. Called to order by Lea Skurpski.

Public Comment

• No Public Comment

Welcome and Introductions of Committee Members

Co-Chairs from SY 23-24 (Kelly Fernandez and Robert Goldel) helped with the development of this evening’s tonight’s agenda as co-chairs had not yet been elected for SY24-25. Introductions among attendees.

Review of SY24-25 Committee Charge

Lea Skurpski reviewed the SHAC charge for SY 24-25 and shared how this will drive the work of the committee for this year. The charge was read into record for the group.

Election of SY24-25 Chair/Co-Chair

Lea Skurpski provided an explanation of how the committee functions according to Robert’s Rules of Order, voting and advisory roles, and how we plan to work together for this school year. The SHAC public webpage was shared as a resource for committee members and for the public.

Role of the Co-Chairs described by Lea Skurpski, Brenda Silvia-Torma, Ilana Yergin-Doniger, and Robert Goldel.

• Kelly Fernandez was nominated and declined. 
• Jen Steiner was nominated and declined.
• Katie Moyer was nominated by Ilana Yergin-Doniger and seconded by Kelly Fernandez. Nomination accepted.
• Keena McAvoy nominated by Robert Goldel, second by Tuc Nguyen. Nomination accepted.
• Robert Goldel nominated by Tuc Nguyen, seconded by David Behar. Nomination accepted.

Ilana Yergin-Doniger shared nomination concerns related to SY23-24. Ilana then made a motion to elect Keena McAvoy and Katie Moyer as Co-Chairs for SY24-25. Motion seconded by Brenda Silvia-Torma. Keena McAvoy and Katie Moyer were elected as Co-Chairs; approved by a majority of 16 votes with three abstentions. 

Approval of Prior Minutes- April and May 2024

Jen Steiner made a motion to approve the April minutes. Seconded by Brenda Silvia-Torma. The minutes were approved by a majority of 17 votes with one abstention.

Jen Steiner made a motion to approve the May minutes. Seconded by Ilana Yergin-Doniger. Motion passed with unanimous consent.

Approval of Meeting Schedule for SY24-25

The drafted meeting schedule was reviewed by the committee. Proposed dates included November 13, December 11, January 15, February 19, March 19, April 16 and May 21. The October 16 meeting was meeting was added to the proposed dates listed on the agenda. 

Brenda Silvia-Torma made a motion to approve the dates listed with the exception of April 16 being changed to April 23. Kelly Fernandez seconded the motion. Motion passed with unanimous consent.

FCPS Updates

Wellness Reporting- SY2023-24 Wellness Reporting has been completed and is available for the public at https://www.fcps.edu/community-resources/mental-health-and-well-being/wellness-leadership/wellness-reporting. This includes reporting from each school in the division.

This year, FCPS also had to complete the 2021-2024 Triennial Wellness Assessment, as required by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The FCPS Triennial Wellness Assessment is available for the public at  https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-06/wellness-triennial-assessment-21-24.pdf and from our Wellness Reporting webpage. This information will also be shared with the public in our upcoming Fall Wellness Newsletter in September.

Cell Phone Policy and Pilot Program Update-FCPS' cell phone expectations for students help foster engagement, learning, and positive social behavior in the classroom. The FCPS usage policy is available at:  https://www.fcps.edu/cell-phone-policy.

Young people report that they have difficulty self-regulating their own technology use, even when it gets in the way of socializing, school or home obligations, or getting a good night's sleep. Educators and mental health professionals advise that students who don’t use their phones to communicate during the school day.

FCPS encourages families to talk to their student about the FCPS cell phone policy and support their student by:

• Contacting the school’s front office (rather than the student directly) if there is a family emergency.
• Only communicating about non-urgent matters before or after the school day.
• Waiting to respond to non-urgent texts from students until the school day is over.

The usage policies apply to all FCPS students, with the exception of schools participating in the school year 2024-25 cell phone storage pilot program. More information on the storage pilot program can be found here.

Pilot Program- Starting school year 2024-25, select middle and high schools at FCPS. The purpose of the pilot program is to create a more engaged learning environment for students, free of distraction from cell phones and social media. Studies show that students who use their cell phones during instructional time focus less, learn less, and achieve lower grades. More information is available at https://www.fcps.edu/cell-phone-storage.

Middle Schools- Middle school students will receive a locked storage pouch, called a Yondr pouch. The pouch is magnetic and stops students from using their phones, including for social media and text messages/phone calls. Each student is responsible for their own personal pouch and will bring it to school each day. Phones stay in the pouch for the entire school day.

Pilot Schools: Frost Middle School, Irving Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Poe Middle School, Robinson Middle School, Thoreau Middle School , Twain Middle School

High Schools- High school students will place their cell phones in central storage units located in each classroom during class time only. 

Pilot Schools: Edison High School, Falls Church High School, Justice High School, Lewis High School, Madison High School, McLean High School, Robinson High School, Westfield High School

Members of the community may provide feedback on the cell phone policy at https://www.fcps.edu/submit-cell-phone-policy-feedback

New Business

Robert Goldel made a motion for a presentation by FCPS staff at October meeting on school wellness survey and youth survey information. Jen Steiner seconded the motion. The motion passed with unanimous consent.

The committee discussed the option for virtual meetings. It was share that new VA legislation passed in July 2024 allowing the option for additional virtual meetings, up to 50% of total meetings. A drafted policy will be shared with the committee during the October meeting for the committee to review and vote on.

Review of SHAC Members Survey Results

Robert Goldel reviewed the results of the SHAC Members survey.

Closing Remarks

Kelly Fernandez made a motion to adjourn. Brenda Silvia-Torma seconded the motion. Unanimously approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:01 pm following a motion of unanimous consent.

Location:
Superintendent’s Conference Room 5055
8115 Gatehouse Road
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

Location:
Conference Room 1600
8115 Gatehouse Road
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

Meeting information will be posted here.

Meeting information will be posted here.

Meeting information will be posted here.

Meeting information will be posted here.

Meeting information will be posted here.

Meeting information will be posted here.