Antioch school board to meet in person, discuss performance evaluation of superintendent, vote on censure of board president Wednesday night

District-wide use of force policies and procedures also on agenda

By Allen Payton

The Antioch School Board will meet in person, tonight for the first time since early 2020. During a closed session beginning at 6:00 p.m., the board will once, again discuss the performance evaluation of Superintendent Stephanie Anello-Cantando. This is the third time the board has held a meeting on the superintendent performance evaluation or for her discipline/dismissal/release in the past two months. (See related article)

2:15 PM UPDATE: The board has yet to hold the annual performance evaluation of Anello-Cantando and has requested her to a hire a consultant to help them with the process. (See agenda item 12.E.) Yet, they’re having the evaluation, tonight before the consultant has been hired. Questions were sent Wednesday afternoon to all five trustees and the superintendent asking them why the board is holding the evaluation of the superintendent, tonight, before they’ve hired the consultant to assist them with the process, which is on the agenda and who requested the closed session agenda item. In addition, a Public Records Act request was submitted for all emails amongst the trustees and between all the trustees and the superintendent regarding tonight’s meeting agenda.

Two items on the regular agenda, beginning at 7:00 p.m., are the censure of Board President Ellie Householder and a board policy on the use of social media by trustees. Both were requested by Trustee Mary Rocha. The censure vote was also requested by members of the public, including the leaders of the recall against Householder, following her repeated, unilateral actions removing from meeting agendas a vote to remove her as board president, violating Robert’s Rules of Order and not recognizing trustees and the superintendent when they tried to speak on agenda items, as well as Householder’s posting of a video of a student being restrained by security and Antioch Police officers at Antioch High School. (See related articles here, here, here and here)

The meeting will be held in the Deer Valley High School Theater at 4700 Lone Tree Way in Antioch.

Also, on the agenda under item 12 Items for Information/Discussion/Action by Board are three items requested by Householder, which include, F. Policy Regarding Law Enforcement Interaction with Students, G. Bullying Prevention Policy, and H. Agenda Setting. There has been some dispute, lately as to who gets to place items on a meeting agenda, if just the board president or the superintendent, or if it requires both, following their meeting and discussion of the draft agenda.

In addition, on the agenda are District-wide Use of Force Policies and Procedures and Board of Education Notification Policies and Procedures, plus, as mentioned above, the possible hiring of a Board Governance Consultant to assist the board in governance and the evaluation of the superintendent.

The board will also receive an update on COVID-related policies and procedures including the mandate for all district staff to show proof of being fully vaccinated or undergo regular testing, at least weekly, as of Oct. 15th.

Those members of the public or district staff who wish to speak either during general public comments at the beginning or end of the meeting, or on a specific agenda item are asked to complete and submit a speaker card.  To watch the meeting online click here. (See complete meeting agenda)

Please check back for any updates to this report.

 

 


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