New Berlin school board approves safety plan and nondiscrimination policy, postpones anti‑harassment policy; approves foundation MOU

The Board of Education of the School District of New Berlin voted on multiple district policies and agreements during its meeting, approving the district safety plan and Policy 2266 (nondiscrimination), postponing Policy 5517 (student anti‑harassment) for further review, and approving employment and foundation agreements following a closed session.

Board members approved the district safety plan by voice vote after staff said there were no substantive changes to the document and that only contact sheets had been updated. The board also approved Policy 2266, a nondiscrimination policy, on second reading. Board members postponed a separate second reading of Policy 5517, the student anti‑harassment policy, until further consideration at a future meeting.

The board began the meeting by moving into closed session under the Wisconsin Statutes to consider personnel and other matters, returning to open session later in the evening and recording votes on closed‑session items. After closed session, the board approved an employment services report and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the district’s education foundation and a related leased employee agreement.

Votes at a glance - Motion to move to closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(c), (e) and (f) to consider approval of closed session minutes, personnel performance/compensation, and the Education Foundation MOU: Moved by Mr. Seidel; second by Mr. Helmer; outcome: approved (roll call; all voting members present voted yes). - Consent agenda (minutes of Sept. 8 and financial reports): Moved by Mr. Seidel; second by Mr. Zielinski; outcome: approved. - Approval of the district safety plan (annual statutory review; no substantive changes): Moved by Mr. Seidel; second by Mr. Zielinski; outcome: approved. - Policy 2266 (nondiscrimination) — second reading and approval: Moved by Mr. Zielinski; second by Ms. Connick; outcome: approved. - Policy 5517 (student anti‑harassment) — motion to postpone to a future meeting: Moved by Ms. Connick; second by Mr. Bridal; outcome: motion to postpone approved. - Employment services report (from closed session): Moved by Ms. Spindler; second by Ms. Connick; outcome: approved. - Memorandum of Understanding dated Oct. 22, 2025, between the Education Foundation of New Berlin and the School District of New Berlin, and the corresponding leased employee agreement dated Oct. 22, 2025: Moved by Mr. Zielinski (recorded in transcript as “Zelensky”); second by Mr. Seidel; outcome: approved.

Board discussion and context Staff told the board that the safety plan must be reviewed and approved annually prior to Jan. 1. "Please note that there were no substantive changes to the plan. Only updated contact sheets were," a staff member said during the meeting. The board held a short discussion and approved the plan by voice vote.

Policy 2266 was presented on second reading and approved without discussion. Board members moved to postpone further consideration of Policy 5517 so that questions raised by members could be addressed before a vote; the board chair indicated the policy would be placed on the next agenda.

Following the board’s closed‑session review of personnel and contract matters, members recorded votes in open session to approve the employment services report and the agreements with the Education Foundation of New Berlin. The board chair reminded the public that discussions in closed session fall under state law and are not discussed in open session, with votes on those items taken publicly when required.

What the board did not decide The transcript shows the board postponed Policy 5517 for later review; no changes to the policy language or a new voting date were recorded at this meeting.

Next steps The board listed future meetings and district dates at the meeting’s end, noting the next board meeting and staff in‑service days. The postponed anti‑harassment policy will return to a future agenda for further discussion.