Student Safety and Well-Being Committee adopts phased plan, guiding framework and vision; forms subcommittees

The Student Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee voted Tuesday to adopt a phased work plan and a guiding framework intended to steer the committee’s data collection and final recommendations, and it approved a vision statement to guide future reporting.

Chair Newsome opened the meeting and presented the material carried over from the prior session. Emily, a staff member, reintroduced the phases as “the guide for the work that needs to be completed throughout the course of this committee,” and said phase 3 will focus on data assessment that will inform measurable targets in phase 4.

Committee members debated what “measurable” should mean in practice. “Typically, when you’re setting goals, you have identifiable numbers that you are looking to reach either pre or post,” one member said, asking whether goals will use increases or decreases. Emily responded that the data will form the basis of those goals and that the committee will quantify targets where appropriate.

The committee moved and approved the phases and timeline by voice vote. It then adopted the guiding framework, amended to include accessibility under the “safe and supportive environments” outcome and to spell out acronyms such as ACES (adverse childhood experiences) for clarity.

The committee also approved a proposed vision statement that the subcommittee authors described as the product of in-person and virtual collaboration. The chair thanked the subcommittee and emphasized the committee’s mandate: “We were organized in such a fashion to bring together thought patterns from multiple areas so that multiple concerns could be brought to the table and brought to bear,” he said.

Members agreed to organize five subcommittees aligned to the guiding framework. Staff will send a poll asking members to submit their top three subcommittee preferences; the chair said the goal is to distribute members across subcommittees to preserve diversity of experience. Emily and staff will also provide a monthly reporting template so each subcommittee reports the same types of information and so staff can collect requested data from department heads.

Committee members set expectations for subcommittee size and role. The body agreed subcommittees should have a minimum of three members and that ex officio members will serve as supportive resources rather than voting members. The chair cautioned that the work and pace of subcommittees will be dependent on available resources and protocol for engaging heads of organizations such as school systems, behavioral health providers and law enforcement.

On scheduling, the committee approved keeping the current meeting times and adding a quarterly evening public meeting, to be held in January, April, July and October. Emily provided a public email for input, sswac@albertmontymd.gov, and confirmed recordings will be available on the committee website for later viewing.

Votes at a glance - Agenda approval: moved by Speaker 2; seconded by Speaker 3; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Open minutes (11/20/2024) approval: moved by Speaker 4; seconded by Speaker 2; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Adoption of recommended phases and timeline: moved by Speaker 4; seconded by Speaker 7; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Adoption of guiding framework (as amended): moved by Speaker 4; seconded by Speaker 7; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Approval of vision statement: moved by Speaker 4; seconded by Newsome (Chair); outcome: approved by voice vote.

What’s next: Staff will distribute the subcommittee preference poll and the monthly reporting template; subcommittees are expected to begin identifying data needs and potential presenters so the full committee can review reports at future meetings.

Sources: Meeting transcript of the Student Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee, Dec. 18, 2024.