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Heads up! Our parent watchdogs have scanned the upcoming agenda for Sandusky City. We found 7 items that need your immediate attention before the vote.
| 🚨 HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 9) |
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Secret Changes to Student Handbooks
The board is voting to approve the student handbooks for every school in the district for the upcoming year, but they have not attached the documents for public review. These handbooks contain critical policies on everything from discipline and technology to gender identity and parental notifications. Voting on these secret documents prevents parents from seeing what new rules their children will be forced to follow.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Call Board President Martha Murray at (419) 626-6940 and email Treasurer Yvonne Anderson at yanderson@scsbluestreaks.net: ‘Pull Item 9.11 from the consent agenda. The public has a right to review all student handbooks before they are approved. Post the documents online immediately and table the vote until the next meeting.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Undisclosed policy changes
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| 🚨 HIGH CONCERN (LEVEL 8) |
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Hiding New Special Education Rules from Parents
The board is voting to approve the ‘Special Education Model Policies and Procedures’ for the new school year without providing the document for public review. These policies directly impact the rights of students with special needs and their parents, governing everything from IEPs to behavioral interventions. This vote is happening in the dark, without parental oversight.
Recommended Action Plan
DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Call Superintendent Dennis Muratori at 419.984.1000: ‘Item 9.13 must be tabled. Parents of special needs students demand the right to review the proposed policies and procedures before the board votes on them. Post the document immediately.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Undisclosed policy changes affecting special needs students
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Silencing Parents at the Podium
The district’s public comment policy, attached to the agenda under item 3.1, severely restricts what parents can say. You are forbidden from criticizing any employee ‘by name or inference,’ which makes it impossible to address specific problems in public. The board also limits total comment time to 30 minutes and requires sign-up before the meeting starts, further controlling the narrative and preventing parents from holding them accountable.
Recommended Action Plan
Call Board President Martha Murray at (419) 626-6940: ‘Policy 201, which forbids parents from criticizing staff by name or inference, is a gag rule that protects bad actors and silences parents. We demand this policy be revised to allow for genuine public accountability.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Your right to free speech and public accountability
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 7) |
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Undisclosed Contract for Alternative School
The board is approving a new contract with ‘Phoenix Learning Center,’ an alternative placement for students, under item 9.14. The contract itself has not been made public. Parents have no way of knowing the terms of the agreement, the disciplinary methods used at this center, or the cost to taxpayers.
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Call Board Vice President Jennifer Chapman at (419) 626-6940: ‘Regarding Item 9.14, why has the contract with Phoenix Learning Center not been attached to the agenda for public review? We need to see the terms of this agreement before it is approved.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Unknown financial and policy commitments
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 6) |
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New App Will Track Your Child’s Behavior
Under item 9.10, the district is purchasing ‘Class Dojo,’ a classroom app that tracks and rates student behavior in real-time. While presented as a communication tool, it functions as a data collection system for your child’s social and emotional habits, creating a permanent digital record. Parents need to know who owns this data and how it will be used.
Recommended Action Plan
Email Treasurer Yvonne Anderson at yanderson@scsbluestreaks.net: ‘Regarding Item 9.10, I demand to see the data privacy agreement for Class Dojo. Who owns the student behavioral data collected by this app, and will parents have an explicit opt-out option before it is implemented?’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: $5,000.00 (plus the cost of your child’s data)
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 5) |
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New ‘Family Support’ Director Role Expands School’s Reach
Under item 8.5, the board is hiring staff recommended by the ‘Director of Student Services & Family Supports.’ This title often acts as a gateway for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs and ‘wraparound services’ that can include mental health screening and connecting families to outside agencies, extending the school’s influence beyond academics and into your home.
Recommended Action Plan
Call Superintendent Dennis Muratori at 419.984.1000: ‘What is the specific mandate of the Director of Student Services & Family Supports? Parents need a clear definition of what ‘family supports’ entails and assurance that it will not lead to data collection or interventions without explicit, prior parental consent.’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: Blurring the lines between school and home
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| ⚠️ NEEDS REVIEW (LEVEL 4) |
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Vague $128k Reading Curriculum Purchase
The board plans to spend $127,977.80 of federal grant money on a new reading curriculum called ‘Reading Horizons’ for grades 3-6 (Item 9.3). While the focus is on reading, many modern curricula embed Social Emotional Learning (SEL) concepts. The quote is attached to the official agenda, but parents should verify it contains no ideological components.
Recommended Action Plan
INVESTIGATE: Review the file ‘Reading Horizions Quote #126530.pdf’ attached in the Official Agenda linked above to determine if it contains sensitive policy changes or SEL components. Email Treasurer Yvonne Anderson at yanderson@scsbluestreaks.net: ‘Does the Reading Horizons curriculum include any Social Emotional Learning or survey components?’
💰 Taxpayer Impact: $127,977.80 (Federal Strings Attached)
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