[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6609959,"mediaKeyId","2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021","parentId",2905163,"title","Public and trustees press district on policy revisions, transgender protections and CPS interview procedures","audioSeconds",304,"startMs",6825000,"endMs",6521000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021&start=6825&end=6521","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021/thumbnail_6825000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6609959/Michigan/Public-and-trustees-press-district-on-policy-revisions-transgender-protections-and-CPS-interview-procedures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6609959-a26e7ed123384a97444b532ea772c3af/orig.mp4?Expires=1770695306&Signature=YHMoruVhkAS-fmO9sEUSktYGQ7WxR-dEJTU7m02AEpCzzhxh-wnlU3Vj1I~PFeAgYeT0wAwZ0NxrP5uSIDSuPlFjyrCTsuLP3a6k0EyUQNIaiYlMpJCF5QZIGpfuX3NjCrbc-8siF3oDv53tqQuTYjK7O347UndSi1Gc3stZTZO8oeBFdO7ajIwneSMWIFUPVPF4JHxD7NCxeuGes3nWViqmcmQ9xiHKfvMIdpoASVI4q1D-Xc0U61f~IltgtcEsNVw5kWW1GbphqgCPlPURoD7O2GMwOMLfbSlHb2XQkT11NXpvfpwSQZGBI9tYgt2NUFnyuREzfuRW1vKne6BNVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Saline Area Schools","date","2025-04-09T02:25:00.787Z","article","Several public commenters and trustees pressed Saline Area Schools officials on April 8 about the district’s policy update process and a set of policies that touch on nondiscrimination and transgender and non-binary student protections.

Susan Yustepp, introduced as a former board member, told trustees she had contacted the full board after discovering what she called discrepancies in the district policy manual. “This past month, I was appalled to discover that policy 2264, non-discrimination, anti-harassment, and non-retaliation, including Title IX and Elliot Larson Civil Rights Act rights, is not in the SAS policy manual and is not being used,” she told the board. She asked the board to clarify how and when policies are revised and to restore policies adopted by the board unless the board has taken further action.

Other public speakers urged the board to maintain strong protections for transgender and non-binary students. “I encourage our district to stand strong in upholding our excellent policies, especially with respect to our transgender and non binary, student policy that's up for revision tonight,” one parent said during public comment.

At the meeting the policy committee chair, Lauren Gold, provided an update. She said the committee met March 18 and reviewed several items on the agenda, including a Neola policy update that administrators asked the committee to reconsider. Gold said the committee also discussed whether to move the district’s policy manual service from Neola to a different provider (referred to in discussion as Thrun) and confirmed the committee would examine those options further.

Trustees debated a narrower technical issue in a subpolicy (5517.02) that referenced a federal Title IX guidance document that has been rescinded. Committee members recommended removing the specific reference because that Department of Education guidance letter had been withdrawn; trustees agreed to bring the language back for a second reading with revised references to state law (the transcript records discussion about adding an explicit citation to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in the policy references).

Board members also discussed administrative guidelines for Child Protective Services (CPS) interviews in schools. A draft administrative procedure stated a building administrator or designated guidance counselor “shall remain in the room during questioning of the student unless prohibited by the agency investigator.” Some trustees raised concerns that the policy committee had struck that sentence; trustees asked staff to research whether school representatives should remain in the interview room or serve as an outside witness and to return the item to policy for clarification. The board agreed, without formal objection, to return that language to the policy committee for further research and to update administrative guidelines accordingly.

The meeting produced no final elimination or restoration of the disputed policies at the full-board level; instead trustees directed follow-up work by the policy committee, asked administrators for implementation guidance and signaled intent to add clearer statutory citations to affected subpolicies. Public commenters were told the board would follow up by email and that staff would provide clarifications and potential policy revisions at a future meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Saline Area Schools: Board of Education Meeting (04.08.2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Public commenters and trustees pressed Saline Area Schools officials about how the district updates its policy manual and about language in policies related to nondiscrimination and transgender students; trustees sent several items back to the policy committee for further work.","taxTitle","Saline Area Schools, School Boards, Michigan","taxId",38490,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6609963,"Saline board adopts UFLI literacy program for kindergarten through second grade",67,3729000,3796000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021&start=3729&end=3796","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021/thumbnail_3729000.jpg","/articles/6609963/Michigan/Saline-board-adopts-UFLI-literacy-program-for-kindergarten-through-second-grade","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6609963-e9b0b4aec96aaf4e7a3b3adfaccbd663/orig.mp4?Expires=1770695306&Signature=XX5-XFUFMcMcSbyVfyDEeiZmzcmB2Ovv0tW95kxzgwD8r1ahqYwe5C079cCHABRpgAv9T3liZWVHhf~ZM0D-1cK~poi5083lQPe-r0ntk25H2-uSZz7bKR7WFK3zFnqg2A0cVuymhGFhvzlhHmRYbAHEK~BZHGL0Z9Kdruy45xcop9B4YJfPpqUdcrkYn839mVqynbQ3A4UhYGADxiqmXwYwYTEoC3yGD2uuyDMAwXvFfXmhPsEsx-QH3hDt76zLcl~QApp36RZPrG4GzWNnD-8KrYR4Hkq33~R0cUXapXRM0lXnttubZWr5fQvGKYpbDr1iJgcDB7tygL4wDtD4Aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Saline Area Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on April 8 to adopt the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) curriculum as the district’s shared Tier 1 literacy program for kindergarten through second grade.

“It's UFLI, actually,” Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Cara Davis told trustees as she introduced the recommendation, saying the district’s instructional team had piloted multiple resources and that adopting one shared program will provide equitable access to foundational literacy instruction across buildings.

School leaders and instructional staff said the decision follows several years of aligned professional development and curriculum review. Jen Nelson, the district’s instructional designer and literacy coach, described district work on curriculum alignment and the transition to a cohesive K–2 program after pilots and lab-site observations.

Board members asked about e-books and screen time. Davis said the approved UFLI package does not rely on e-books and that classroom instruction will emphasize teacher-led, hands-on phonics, though the curriculum includes online supports for teacher learning: “there's no ebooks per se, in there at all. It's just part of the language around the policy that says you're approving those things,” she said. Trustees approved the adoption by recorded vote, 6-0.

Administrators described next steps as including summer professional development, classroom materials orders and teacher supports so staff implementing the new program have coaching and training. District leaders said the curriculum purchase fell under the district’s procurement thresholds and that funding is planned from identified grant awards and district resources.","The board approved adoption of the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) curriculum for K–2, describing it as a unified, research-informed phonics program; trustees voted unanimously (6-0).",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6609969,"Saline Area Schools board approves truck, furniture, solar and construction contracts totaling about $11.2 million",0,3104000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021&start=3104&end=3104","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2905163-c703c52f770a4b42b8430ceb2fb02021/thumbnail_3104000.jpg","/articles/6609969/Michigan/Saline-Area-Schools-board-approves-truck-furniture-solar-and-construction-contracts-totaling-about-112-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6609969-5352797607860c76cbd06ada369ff25a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770695306&Signature=VBAj7V8IoBJygAQF4S6nWASgRcasrZbphlfRMN3LTdZMcaOX0tHQJayRb0YT4c-NR1vcQ7HuFCW7-7m~WgDKjZVpMnFOfM1gGy8WijcjPxcsrJGxr4NOY7ZH4Rib6VkkVW4mHHayXt3TRBuLkxf-H4jP9k-JPHcwblD16ZVcKcx9~fym1Gq0yXmHmCXuSsvx201DtGopYrRkQUIR5N9s6Vn2D1pjvjouVUTMQG84oao5R74gEVqSiHQlTRH7tMPj0hAR6tEFZnGUSsl7JoF65GbSox9XtJcktTRhsJwKusBGCs23vza-mERjGLqgimg~0H2uug1hZRiMJPkRo61p1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Saline Area Schools Board of Education on April 8 approved a series of purchases and construction contracts covering equipment, furniture and large capital work, with all motions passing by recorded votes of 6-0.

The actions approved included the purchase of a replacement grounds truck, furniture for the Saline High School STEM addition, auditorium and music storage equipment for the middle school, award of a labor contract to install a solar roof mount array at Saline High School, and multiple trade contracts for Saline Middle School interior renovations.

Board members heard from operations staff that the truck purchase was urgent. “This is a critical, critical piece of equipment for our grounds department during snow removal,” the district said in presenting the request, noting the vehicle being replaced dated to 2003. The board approved buying a Ford regular-cab unit and a stainless-steel dump box for a combined total of $119,654.16; the motion recorded no opposition (6-0).

The board next approved furniture for the Saline High School STEM addition as recommended by King Scott Associates, at a package price of $291,023, including a 6% contingency of $16,471.71; vote 6-0. Administrators said the package was coordinated with robotics and Science Olympiad groups and is intended to provide flexible day/evening use.

Separately, the board approved middle-school auditorium and music storage equipment from Wagner Corporation for $103,306.80 (including a 5% contingency); vote 6-0. Staff said the work includes replacing aging storage systems and flooring where asbestos remediation will be done as part of the demo.

The board awarded the labor portion of a solar roof-mount installation at Saline High School to Yellow Light Incorporated for $1,152,461.82. District staff said the project remains on budget and that the middle-school array was expected to be operational soon; DTE interconnection work with the utility remained an outstanding step. The motion passed 6-0.

Finally, trustees approved recommended trade contractors for the Saline Middle School interior renovations as listed in bid pack number 4; the full package presented totaled $9,584,470. The district reported the bond-approved amount for the project was $7,925,706 and said it is using escalation funds and increased scope to cover the difference. The board voted to approve the contracts, 6-0.

All motions on the consent and action agenda were recorded as unanimous (6-0). The board’s roll-call votes were taken at the public meeting; no “no” votes or abstentions were recorded on these items.

The board packet includes vendor names and line-item amounts for each approved contract and purchase. District staff said work on the construction items will proceed over the summer and into next school year, with some long-lead items already under submittal to vendors.","At its April 8 meeting the Saline Area Schools Board of Education approved a series of purchases and construction contracts including a grounds truck, STEM and auditorium furniture, a solar-array installation and middle-school renovation trade contracts. All motions passed by unanimous recorded votes (6-0).","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public and trustees press district on policy revisions, transgender protections and CPS interview procedures

Saline board adopts UFLI literacy program for kindergarten through second grade

Saline Area Schools board approves truck, furniture, solar and construction contracts totaling about $11.2 million