Principal: IB program is not an elite magnet; it includes emergent bilingual and special education students

A principal at the school told the meeting that the International Baccalaureate program is often misunderstood as a gifted-and-talented or magnet program, but said that characterization is false. "I think that sometimes, you know, they think it's a a GT program. It's it's a program just for elite students, a magnet school. That is false," the principal said.

The principal said the IB approach focuses on values and inclusion. "The idea about IBIA, it's it's about kindness. It's about caring. It's about involving all voices," the principal said, adding that those values are "very, very key." The principal also referenced parents and said there has been "extreme parent involvement from the beginning."

On campus composition, the principal said the student body includes a high share of emergent bilingual learners and students receiving special education services. "When you go into my campus, you know, I have, I'm over 75% emergent bilingual. I have 50% of my students are in the special education program. I have students who are in the life skills unit," the principal said, and emphasized that those students "do take part in IB."

The principal noted that students in the program conduct research and present their work, saying, "they do research as well, and they present." The remarks concluded with the principal saying they take pride in the program: "I take it as a very big point of pride as a principal."

No formal vote or motion was recorded in the transcript segment provided; the remarks in the excerpt were presented as explanation and advocacy for inclusion within the IB program.