Participants
Everyone the recording shows taking part. Names follow the project's dialogue file; no minutes exist online to check spellings against, so spellings of non-members are as the transcription heard them and are marked where unverified. Members are listed first.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Brian Rapp | Chair | Presided. Told a resident that "Our agendas are are posted online." Pressed the administration on attendance data and the assessment debate, and at 2:50:22 rejected any criteria for gender identity: "It is not up to us to put a criteria on how a person identifies." Asked that a second member join the paraprofessional negotiations. |
| Chris Irish | Vice Chair | Supported the goals but asked that the post-secondary target be tied to guidance counseling. On the transgender policy, pressed the athletics sections as a safety question ("that's a slippery slope that could easily be abused") while saying at 2:54:20 "I don't have an issue with the policy." Proposed recognizing athletic director Doug Beaupré. |
| Patrick Adrian | Board member | Asked about student volunteering in the lunch program; questioned the district's "assessment culture"; suggested clearer wording in the condom policy; added to the maintenance and transportation negotiating team. |
| Brent Ferland | Board member | Moved approval of the agenda and minutes. Asked whether the district tracks college completion and whether students are held to grade-level proficiency; argued that locker-room privacy should be available to all students and that self-identification creates a problem for athletics. |
| Rebecca (Becky) Ferland | Board member; SAU 6 chair | Identified by the dialogue file mainly because she answers the chair's remark about the paraprofessional negotiations being "a lot for Becky to handle by herself" (medium-high confidence). Asked about a parent's transportation complaint raised at the SAU 6 meeting; moved first reading of the condom policy and adoption of the transgender, building rental and background-check policies. |
| Frank Sprague | Board member | Asked whether local assessments could replace Smarter Balanced and raised the district's Zillow rating; proposed that locker-room privacy language cover all students; seconded the transgender policy. One of his two diarization clusters is marked uncertain in the dialogue file. |
| Michelle Pierce | Board member | Absent. Emailed the chair that she could not attend. |
| Middleton McGoodwin | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Gave the superintendent's report; stated the nonpublic-session exemption; presented "moving toward excellence" goals, the FY18 budget schedule, negotiating teams, and the five policies. Rendered Doctor Goodwin and Milton. |
| Cory LeClair | Assistant Superintendent, SAU 6 | Announced the October 6 early-childhood event, the teen homework space and a new AmeriCorps VISTA; gave staff survey response figures; defended the move from MAP to i-Ready testing; described the curriculum website. |
| Chris | SAU 6 administrator for out-of-district special education placements | Reported three students returned from out-of-district placements and the cost of housing an alternative program. Title and surname not stated on this recording; the dialogue file does not identify him further. |
| Marian | Student representative, Stevens High School senior | Gave the student report after field hockey practice. The superintendent's Mary Ann Lovett may give her surname; unverified. |
| Rebecca Zullo | Citizens' comments; former Claremont School District employee | Asked the board how it viewed the culture of the district and how to see the staff survey. The dialogue file notes she later became a board member. |
| Helen Costello | New Hampshire Food Bank | Reported on the Children's Community Lunch pilot. |
| Megan | Children's Community Lunch coordinator | Spoke on volunteers and next year's plans. Surname garbled in the transcription. |
| Cindy Stevens | Managing Director, Claremont Soup Kitchen | Described the soup kitchen's role preparing and delivering meals. |
Order of business (reconstructed)
No agenda for this meeting is posted in any district share, so this list is reconstructed from the chair's transitions on the recording. The chair and superintendent refer to Roman-numeral and lettered items (Roman numeral seven, F six, G), so a written agenda existed. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped entry for the full text.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:28 | Call to order, pledge, roll call | Roll answered in a run-together segment; Pierce reported absent. |
| 0:01:31 | Agenda amendments and approval | Superintendent: "we are not going to have a need for Roman numeral seven, a nomination for new staff" and asked to "add a discussion out of district placements". Brent Ferland moved, Adrian seconded; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:02:40 | Minutes of the previous meeting | Brent Ferland moved approval; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:03:10 | Superintendent's report | With announcements by the assistant superintendent. |
| 0:13:20 | Citizens' comments | One speaker, Rebecca Zullo. |
| 0:23:49 | Discussion: NH Food Bank children's community lunch program | Report by three presenters. |
| 0:44:06 | Student representative report | Taken up when the student arrived from practice. |
| 0:54:24 | Nonpublic session | Under RSA 91-A:3, II(c), as stated by the superintendent; see flag 1. |
| 1:00:02 | Discussion: moving toward excellence | Superintendent's presentation of district goals. |
| 2:04:20 | Discussion: strategic action plan; River Valley course | Committee roster read; informational. |
| 2:05:55 | FY18 budget schedule; negotiating teams | Draft schedule; Adrian added to the maintenance and transportation team. |
| 2:11:29 | Discussion: out-of-district placements (added item) | Informational update. |
| 2:31:23 | Policy: condom distribution (first reading) | Accepted for first reading on Rebecca Ferland's motion; voice vote. |
| 2:38:42 | Policy: transgender and gender nonconforming students (third reading) | Adopted on Rebecca Ferland's motion, Sprague seconding; the tally is not audible. |
| 2:55:22 | Policies: building rental procedure; background investigation and criminal history records check; volunteers | Each adopted by voice vote. |
| 2:57:00 | Joint meeting date with the City Council | Discussed; the chair preferred November 15. |
| 2:58:44 | Future agenda items and close | Recognition of the athletic director requested; motion to close voted. |
Discussion timeline
Chronological, from the dialogue CSV. Times are the start of the cited exchange, taken from the CSV's own second count. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped cell for the full entry.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:00:28 | Call to order; Pierce absent | The roll comes through as "Chris. Irish here. Patrick. Here." Chair: "Michelle did email me. She said she'd be unable to make it tonight." | |
| 0:01:49 | Agenda amended | New-staff nominations deleted; out-of-district placements added. Approved, then the previous minutes approved. | |
| 0:03:10 | Superintendent's report | Students and coaches helped the St. Mary's parish fair: "we were able to raise over $10,000." A River Valley Community College programming course for middle schoolers; Claremont Middle School service-learning projects on foster care, kindness and community preparedness. Start-of-year problems were "nothing worth contacting the chair or contacting the board members about". | |
| 0:10:51 | Assistant superintendent's announcements | October 6 early-childhood community event; the teen homework space "located at 169 Main Street"; new AmeriCorps VISTA Lauren Simpson. | |
| 0:13:45 | Citizens' comments: district culture | Rebecca Zullo, a former employee: "I have some major concerns for the people who work here." Superintendent: "it would be inappropriate to have a public discussion about individuals, about staff or about schools". LeClair on the staff survey: "we had 64 responses from the middle school and the high school". Zullo: "60 people out of 300 are feeling a survey out about our school culture". Chair: "Our agendas are are posted online." | |
| 0:24:04 | Children's Community Lunch pilot | Helen Costello: four sites for 11 weeks; "we were able to serve over thousand 300 meals this summer"; "our single high day, census, if you will, was 67 children"; "We had over 38 volunteers" giving "over 370 volunteer hours". Megan and Cindy Stevens on volunteers and the soup kitchen's kitchen. | |
| 0:43:16 | Communication about the schools | Superintendent, answering Adrian: "we need to improve, our communication with what really going on in the schools"; a superintendent's Facebook page planned. | |
| 0:44:34 | Student representative report | Maple Avenue schedule changes, life skills farm program, yearbook, Civil War QR-code project, fall sports; a sportsmanship certificate because "there were no Stevens athletes who were ejected from any athletic competition". Irish on athletic director "Doug Beaupré" being named athletic director of the year. | |
| 0:54:24 | Nonpublic session | Superintendent: "If we could, under RSA 91 a three Roman numeral two see going through nonpublic for a brief meeting please." Motion: "Make a motion. We go into nonpublic under." then "what he said second." A roll call follows; the recording resumes at 0:59:20 with a second roll call and the chair's "This is a to seal." before the motion to come out at 0:59:42. | MEDIUM |
| 1:00:07 | Moving toward excellence: district goals | Cross-district curriculum work and a new curriculum website. Goals: "One of our goals is 100% of the students will demonstrate measurable growth reading, writing and math." At 1:13:45: "We are looking for a 93% rate of attendance at Stevens High School." And "75% of our high school students will apply be accepted to a post-secondary", against "right now we're in the about 60% range". | |
| 1:18:17 | College completion and proficiency questions | Brent Ferland: "How many of them are actually, completing college". Sprague at 1:30:38: "let's have that growth show up on Zillow". LeClair: "we are getting knocked on Zillow because of our state performance". Brent Ferland at 1:38:03: "Are we looking for 100% grade level proficiency before passing kids on"; LeClair: grade-level benchmarks are not yet set. | |
| 1:43:22 | Assessment culture debate | Adrian: "the assessment culture it really is stifling the child's relationship". Chair: "Boogeyman in some other district that you've heard about." Brent Ferland: "what we're doing with these tests is getting the diagnostic code". LeClair at 1:54:08: "we have consciously eliminated assessments that we have been given giving in the past". | |
| 1:53:01 | Curriculum website | Adrian found parts not yet loaded; LeClair: the teacher side is built first. Chair at 1:58:27: "just being transparent, I think it's a it's a great thing". Chair on the old state test: "It was an it's an autopsy. It's the data comes way too late." | POSITIVE |
| 2:04:26 | Strategic planning committee | Ten members named, including board members Patrick Adrian and Michelle Pierce and "Richard Seaman, former school board chair, community member." | |
| 2:05:55 | FY18 budget schedule | "This is a draft of the fiscal year 18 budget schedule." Members pointed out meetings set on Fridays; to be corrected. | |
| 2:08:29 | Negotiating teams | Sprague: "I know we met with the Sri a this week" (the teachers' association). Chair: the paraprofessional unit is "a lot for Becky to handle by herself". At 2:11:19: "add add Patrick to, maintenance and transportation." | |
| 2:11:38 | A parent's transportation complaint | Rebecca Ferland asked "about the parent that came in and her student didn't have transportation?" Superintendent: "Chris is working with that resident and and is working toward resolving it." No student identified. | |
| 2:13:47 | Out-of-district placements | Chris: "We've actually been able to bring, two students from out of district placement back to Stevens High School." and "So we've had three. Been able to bring three back for the beginning of the school year." "these aren't just kids on a spreadsheet". At 2:22:35: "I may be able to get a property for 60, $70,000, but it's going to cost me 300 to get it up to code." To Irish's point that parents have the final say: "No. Because you have to follow a special ed process and you have to follow special ed law." Irish and Adrian urged a regional program with Newport and Springfield. | POSITIVE |
| 2:31:27 | Condom distribution policy, first reading | Superintendent: "We have followed suit with the Hanover School District up north of us." "Our goal is to support students whose parents give permission." At 2:33:55: "If we do not hear from the parent, the student does not have access." Adrian questioned the wording "please note parent guardians are not permitted to make this request". Accepted for first reading. | OBSERVATION |
| 2:38:42 | Transgender and gender nonconforming students policy, third reading | Superintendent: "The whole theme behind this is to protect the rights of all students, right?" Sprague proposed privacy language for any student: "it gives them the opportunity to opt out of the locker room". Irish: "that's a slippery slope that could easily be abused". The chair at 2:42:18 steered the general privacy point to another policy; the superintendent said he would "review the policies and see if I can find a policy where that would be appropriate". | OBSERVATION |
| 2:44:32 | Athletics sections debated | Irish: "I can see where this is probably going to blow up in some school districts face at some point". Superintendent: "I would recommend that we keep it in place." Brent Ferland at 2:48:02: "we are relying on people self-identifying" and "I don't think we should have a privileged class of people that can have private locker rooms." Chair: "It is not up to us to put a criteria on how a person identifies." | OBSERVATION |
| 2:50:36 | Transgender policy adopted | Rebecca Ferland: "I move that we accept the transit gender gender non-conforming students policy as motion." Sprague seconded. After further debate the superintendent warned that "without having a policy. You put the district at risk". The vote is heard only as the chair's Opposed thank. at 2:55:19. | OBSERVATION |
| 2:55:32 | Three more policies adopted | Building rental procedure; background investigation and criminal history records check ("Capital murder. Thank you, Becky, for that correction."); volunteers, where "The legal reference of the policy that is currently in existence is incorrect." | |
| 2:57:00 | Joint meeting with the City Council | Irish questioned another meeting: "we're going to have another meeting to say we're going to meet so we don't meet again". The superintendent urged continuing; the chair preferred November 15. | |
| 2:58:56 | Future agenda item; close | Irish asked the board to "ask Mr. Humble, Mr. Beaupré, to be at the next meeting to be recognized". Motion to close seconded and voted. | |
Items flagged for review
Flags are a reviewer's aid generated by comparing the meeting against the law in force on September 21, 2016. Several provisions cited below were later amended, and each flag cites the text as it then read. They are not findings of violation, and nothing here is legal advice. Where no verified rule applies, the flag says so and is recorded as an observation. Five flags follow, ordered by severity.
MEDIUM The motion to go into nonpublic session named its exemption only by reference, and a sealing step was taken without an audible finding
At 0:54:28 the superintendent asked to go into nonpublic session "under RSA 91 a three Roman numeral two see", that is RSA 91-A:3, II(c) (matters likely to affect adversely the reputation of a person other than a board member). The motion itself was "Make a motion. We go into nonpublic under.", completed by a voice saying "what he said second." A roll call follows on the tape, with names partly audible ("Chris Irish.", "And Brian."). When the recording resumes at 0:59:20 there is a second roll call, the chair says "This is a to seal.", and only then, at 0:59:42, "Motion to come out of nonpublic."
Two requirements of RSA 91-A:3 as it read in 2016 are engaged. Paragraph I(b): "Any motion to enter nonpublic session shall state on its face the specific exemption under paragraph II which is relied upon as foundation for the nonpublic session." A motion that adopts the superintendent's statement by reference arguably meets that; one that states nothing on its face does not, and the tape shows the second. Paragraph III: nonpublic minutes and decisions must be disclosed within 72 hours "unless, by recorded vote of 2/3 of the members present taken in public session, it is determined that divulgence of the information likely would affect adversely the reputation of any person other than a member of the public body itself" or one of the other stated grounds. The recording shows a sealing vote apparently taken before the motion to come out, and no determination is audible. The audio is heavily garbled at this point, so a reader should treat this as a probable documentation gap rather than an established one; the nonpublic minutes, which would settle it, are not available online. The subject of the session is not disclosed on the recording, which is what the exemption allows.
Sources: RSA 91-A:3, I(b) and III (2015 codification); RSA 91-A:3 (2016 codification; the same sentences, with later 2016 amendments effective January 1, 2017).
OBSERVATION The transgender and gender nonconforming students policy was adopted on third reading, but the vote itself is not audible
The motion (2:50:36) and second are clear; the vote is heard only as the chair's Opposed thank. at 2:55:19, so the tally and any dissent cannot be recovered from the recording, and no minutes are online. Adoption is corroborated two weeks later, when a student speaking for the high school GSA thanks the board for passing the transgender policy on the October 5 recording (show 8679). Irish said he did not oppose the policy but objected to its athletics sections; Brent Ferland raised the same concern.
For context on the law at the time: the board's debate took place against federal guidance, not a statute or regulation. The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice had issued a Dear Colleague Letter on May 13, 2016 stating "The Departments treat a student's gender identity as the student's sex for purposes of Title IX." That letter was withdrawn on February 22, 2017. This page did not verify any New Hampshire statute in force in September 2016 that addressed gender identity in schools, and it does not characterize the policy's own legal references, which are not in any available record.
Sources: ED/DOJ Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, May 13, 2016 (guidance); ED/DOJ letter of February 22, 2017 withdrawing it.
OBSERVATION At first reading the condom policy required parental permission; the version adopted two weeks later was opt-out
The superintendent presented the policy at 2:31:27 as permission-based: "Our goal is to support students whose parents give permission." and "If we do not hear from the parent, the student does not have access." On October 5 he presented it for second reading with "the opt out" as the adjustment, and the board waived the third reading and adopted it that night. A resident who followed this first reading would not have known the consent design had been reversed until the night it was adopted. See the October 5 page, flag 2. No statute in force in 2016 governed the number of readings; this is recorded as an observation.
Sources: No statute identified; see the October 5, 2016 page.
OBSERVATION No agenda, packet or minutes for this meeting are posted online
MAP.md records that neither district Drive share holds anything before July 2022 (checked 9/26/26), so this page rests on the recording alone. That is a limit of what the district posts online, not by itself evidence that records were never made: the board approves its previous minutes on this recording (0:02:45) and approves these minutes on October 5, and the chair told a resident that agendas were posted online. In 2016, RSA 91-A:2, II required minutes to be "open to public inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting". The limb of the project's missing-records rule applied is the online-availability observation, because the recording shows minutes being kept. The nonpublic minutes discussed in flag 1 are the most consequential missing record.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2015 codification, in force until January 1, 2017); Input/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md section 14.
POSITIVE The administration reported in public on curriculum, goals and out-of-district placements without identifying any student
The superintendent put measurable district goals on the record and committed to "publicly discussing" results; the assistant superintendent described a curriculum website that she said makes most material public, and the chair called it "just being transparent" (1:58:27). The out-of-district placement report (2:13:47) gave counts, costs and process in public while keeping every family anonymous, and the superintendent declined to discuss an individual parent's case in specifics. None of this was required by statute; it is a practice that lets the public follow special education and curriculum decisions that usually happen out of view.
Sources: Practice beyond statutory minimums; no statute required these reports.
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast show 8648, "SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 9-21-16": Claremont Community TV, CLAREMONT SCHOOLS gallery. Every timestamp on this page links into this recording.
- No Drive material: neither the Claremont nor the SAU 6 share holds a year folder older than 2022, and the Meeting Minutes share starts at 2023 (MAP.md, checked 9/26/26). No agenda, packet, policy text or minutes, public or nonpublic, were located.
- Related pages: August 17, 2016 (first reading of the transgender and background-check policies) and October 5, 2016 (condom policy adopted).
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/8648 SchoolBoard092116.mp4.CSV (959 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/8648 SchoolBoard092116.mp4Input/Transcripts/8648 SchoolBoard092116.mp4.jsonScripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/8648 SchoolBoard092116.mp4.mdInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 14
Laws and rules cited on this page
- New Hampshire statutes, as in force on September 21, 2016. RSA 91-A:3, I(b), II(c) and III (nonpublic sessions; 2015 codification, with the 2016 codification for comparison). RSA 91-A:2, II (notice and minutes; 2015 codification).
- Federal guidance (not law). Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, May 13, 2016, withdrawn by the February 22, 2017 letter.