IAC Meeting Minutes Feb. 5, 2025

NSA Naples Installation Advisory Committee (IAC) Meeting Agenda
Date: Feb. 5^th 2025
Time: 1600
Location: NMHS Information Center
TEAMS Link  

I. Call to Order (Called at 1600)

Acting Chairperson: Ryan Pursel (Vice Acting Chair)

• Welcome and Opening Remarks:
  • The Acting Chair welcomed the parents, volunteers, and leaders from both NSA Naples and DODEA to the meeting and highlighted that the purpose of the IAC is to discuss issues that impact both schools but that have a specific link to NSA Naples. He highlighted that issues that are specific for either school are better to be addressed during either School Advisory Committee meetings.
  • The Acting Chair thanked those attending in person and virtually and emphasized that we are all here to work together to support our Family and school community.

• Attendance: (Introduction)
  • NSA Naples Commanding Officer John Randazzo (Non-Voting Member) (Present)
  • School Liaison Officer Sarah Dastrup (Non-Voting Member) (Present)
  • DODEA Community Superintendent Stephanie El Sayed (Non-Voting Member) (Present)
  • NMHS Principal Chris Beane (Non-Voting Member) (Present)
  • NMHS Assistant Principal Rachel Lanquist (Non-Voting Member) (Present)
  • NES Principal Arturo Rivera (Non-Voting Member) (Absent)
  • NES Assistant Principal Candace Rascoe (Non-Voting Member) (Present)
  • NMHS Staff Representative Sharon James (Cory Taunton in place)
  • NES Parent Representative Alicia Sexton (Chair) (Absent due to TDY)
  • NES Staff Representative Zach Pierson (Secretary) (Present)
  • NMHS Parent Representative Ryan Pursel (Vice Chair) (Present)

III. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

Review and approval of minutes from the previous meeting

• The Acting Chair made the assumption that the minutes had been reviewed by attendees but the NSA Naples Commanding Officer corrected the Acting Chair in that the minutes were not shared or not shared effectively throughout the community. This assessment had concurrence by parents that were present in this meeting. 
• The IAC Secretary confirmed that the minutes were shared internally on December 12, 2024, but not shared publically. Attendees confirmed their preference that the minutes are shared via the school Newsletters, Facebook, & the school website. 

IV. Old Business

Facilities

• DoDEA Air Conditioning Project updates.
  • Due to the absence of both the DODEA Facilities Supervisor and representatives from Public Works, both the NSA Naples Commanding Officer and the NMHS Principal provided information that they knew about the project but could not offer specifics. Because NSA Naples does not manage the project, DODEA was asked for an update on this project. 
  • Many comments were made by leaders and members alike that both Public Works and the DODEA Facilities Supervisor should be invited to the IAC. The Acting Chair affirmed that the IAC would not dictate who joined DODEA or NSA Naples leadership to future meetings as that decision is theirs to make.
  • Community members expressed dissatisfaction about this project with one member stating this has been going on for many years with no known status of the project. The NMHS Principal confirmed that once the project starts, they anticipate it being a one-year project.
  • Later in the meeting, the NSA Naples Commanding Officer received a confirmation from Public Works that the contract had been send back to the Contractor (Mirabella) by DODEA on 31 January 2025 for contract modifications with a suspense for Mirabella to respond by 20 February 2025. DODEA confirmed it would keep the community informed on the progress of this project. 
  • The Acting Chair asked the Commanding Officer to clarify if the contract for this was being bid on through the normal contracting process which he replied stating that all maintenance contracts for work on the base are contracts for Mirabella only. The Acting Chair asked if that means the baes only uses single source contracts with Mirabella which the commander confirmed was the case. 
  • Based on feedback by some community members for assumed lack of ability for the base to hold Mirabella accountable to shortfalls, the Commanding Officer confirmed that the base has numerous enforcement mechanisms, including withholding payment, at its disposal. It was not clear if DODEA has or uses those same mechanisms.
  • School leaders confirmed that once the project starts, portable buildings would be installed with classrooms moved into them during construction.
• NMHS track reconditioning timeline and status of outdoor stadium lighting.
  • The Acting Chair asked for an update about the track reconditioning plan and asked for an update on the plan to address the improperly painted lines needed to run the track meets for the upcoming season.
  • The NMHS Principal confirmed that the reconditioning project would occur after the end of the track season and finish before the start of any school sports during the 2025/2026 school year. Some community members questioned the necessity of this project with the NMHS Principal confirming that the track has not been reconditioned for six years and it needed to be done. The Principal stated that when the football field was updated last year, damage to the track required repairs recently but those repairs did not address all of the issues with the track. 
  • The Principal, along with the Commanding Officer and community superintendent, stated that they were not aware of any issues with the lines painted on the track. Several community members explained that the distances were incorrect and have been since they were last painted. The NMHS Principal stated that the school will ensure that the lines are painted correctly and that any work needing to be done will be completed before the track season started. A community member asked if the track will be ready to host a meet which the NMHS Principal stated it would.
  • A community member questioned the reliability that this work would occur on time considering the challenges with getting the contract for the Air Conditioning project completed after many years of work. The community superintendent confirmed this would not be an issue for this project.
  • It was highlighted again that the DODEA Facilities Supervisor must be invited to attend IAC meetings in the future.
  • The NSA Naples Commanding Officer addressed stadium lights and stated that the permits for these lights are being worked in close coordination with the City of Gricignano. Upon receipt of the permits, contracts for the lights would be actioned. He further discussed the intent to construct a field house in the vicinity of the stadium as well.
• Metal Chain for Road/Safety
  • The Acting Chair asked for an update relating to the chains that create a temporary barrier in the front of the school to limit the flow of vehicle traffic before and after school for safety reasons.
  • The Commanding Officer confirmed that his safety office held a meeting with the school safety officers about traffic safety where this topic was discussed. It was agreed that traffic safety needed to be improved and they are exploring ways to do this effectively. He confirmed that the best solution to replace the plastic chains is not metal chains but possible a swinging bar may be best but that he will work with the school to identify the right way forward and to determine whether this is a DODEA or NSA Naples project. Neither the base nor the school could confirm so this remains a due out. 
  • A community member asked for clarity on who is responsible for raising and lowering the chains that serve as a temporary barrier over the road in front of the school. The NES Assistant Principal confirmed that NES safety patrol raises and lowers the chain in the morning while the NMHS JROTC performs that task in the afternoon. The community member reported that the chains do not appear to be going up at all in the morning anymore which the NES Assistant Principal responded that she has noticed this issue and thought it was addressed. She stated she will address it again. 
  • A community member highlighted the need for community members to be better at holding each other accountable when it comes to driving through the barriers with the chains up or down. She stated that this is our community and we must work together to keep each other safe.
  • A community member requested that the cross walk closest to the traffic circle and in front of the CDC be closed due to traffic congestion in the area. NSA Naples and DODEA will collaborate on the appropriate solution to this problem. 
  • The Commanding Officer is looking at other projects including painting curbs around the school as well.
  • The Commanding Officer asked DODEA who is responsible for safety at the schools. Both schools said it was their administrative officer. 

2.  CDC Hiring Project Update

• This topic was unintentionally skipped.

3.  School Lunches

Follow-up on concerns regarding contract bids and oversight by NEX

• The Acting Chair asked for assistance from DODEA or NSA Naples about the quality of school lunches and the portion sizes. A community member informed the committee that the NEX is responsible for the contract for school lunches and their newly hired lead for overseeing this program (Adam) has just started. He will be looking at this as soon as possible. 
• It was confirmed by the schools that their administrative officers do quality checks and a community member relayed that the NEX does unannounced quality checks as well. Both confirmed that the portion sizes have been to USDA standards with the NES Assistant Principal stating that they had found that many students were rejecting some menu items due to preference which resulted in them receiving less food. The school soon after instituted a policy where all menu items would be given to a student who paid for lunch but it remains the student’s choice to eat or discard what they were given. Additionally, there was consensus by school leadership and community members that the food quality has become very poor in both schools.
• The Commanding Officer noted that last year’s IAC had a lunch sub-committee which were comprised of volunteers who would assist with monitoring school lunches so that issues could be more rapidly submitted to the contract office representative (COR). It was confirmed that this year’s IAC did not have such a committee nor did either SAC. 
• The consensus by the committee was that a sub-committee may be warranted. The Acting Chair asked members to think about this as the meeting went on reminding everyone that creating such a committee would require volunteers. 
• A community member stated that last year there were on-line forms that helped report and track reports of issues relating to the school lunches. 

V. New Business

• Partnership between school and security for incidents involving physical altercations at NES and NMHS.
• The Acting Chair asked the NSA Naples Commanding Officer and the school leaders what was being done to both deter and better respond to the increasing issues of bullying in both schools. The Acting Chair noted a recent incident where a student was hospitalized due to an assault on school grounds and added that this was not the first time such an event happened in the school. 
• The NES assistant Principal discussed their methods of responding to incidents but emphasized that she could not share details with us or with parents aside from discussing things with a parent of an involved student.  She further stated that NES does not report incidents to law enforcement unless it is a serious incident or a parent requests to do so. She reported that law enforcement refuses to respond to many incidents in the school despite the school requesting a response.  The Acting Chair emphasized that any assault is a crime and all reports of assaults should require a response by law enforcement. The Commanding Officer stated that they are not receiving many reports from the school demonstrating a possible misunderstanding between what requires a call to law enforcement for assistance and what does not. The Acting Chair emphasized the need for the base and DODEA to discuss this misunderstanding to ensure law enforcement is receiving reports and is responding to them as appropriate. The Commanding Officer affirmed the importance of these reports as they inform how Fleet and Family Services, Family Advocacy, and other agencies get involved. The Commanding Officer told the schools to “always report incidents like assault to law enforcement, refusing to do so, he noted, is concerning.
• In response to the NES Assistant Principal stating that “Security told [her] they would not take a report”, the NSA Commanding Officer provide the below response to the IAC following the meeting:
• I talked to the SECO that night.  In that specific case, the issue was reported the following day and the vice principal was asked to come file a report since there was no issue occurring so no need to divert security resources to at that time to the school.  The expectation is: when DoDEA calls our security team for an ongoing issue, they will respond based on the level of severity to provide assistance, or direct DoDEA to file a report which could drive other actions (reporting, FAP, investigation etc.).  If DoDEA feels this response is not sufficient, they should contact NSA Naples SECO or ASECO, then follow up the COC for assistance.  The school liaison is also ready to assist in directing resources or advocating for DoDEA.
• A community member asked the schools if they have a matrix that stipulates appropriate discipline levels for specific incidents as a guide to both respond to and deter incidents. Both schools and the community superintendent affirmed that such a matrix does not exist as each incident is addressed on a case by case basis. Another member asked if there is a school code of conduct that students and parents sign that could be used to deter poor behavior. Both schools stated they do not have this in place.
• A community member asked how many times severe assaults need to happen before a student is expelled. 
• The NES Assistant Principal assured the community members that the school uses progressive discipline which is a layered approach to incidents and those levels of discipline include many levels up to suspension. The Acting Chair noted that expulsion was excluded in her remarks and asked if that is a tool. Both schools confirmed expulsion is a tool.
• The NES Assistant Principal confirmed that counselors conduct lessons to counter bullying behaviors. She stated that there will be a school wide assembly where this will further be discussed with the students.
• A community member asked how the school deals with repeat offenders noting that a recent incident that resulted in a victim being hospitalized was completely preventable because the perpetrator in this incident had been, allegedly, the perpetrator in as many as five previous incidents.  This community member expressed frustration that throughout his career living in many places throughout the world and having five children, NES is the first school with enough problems that makes him question NES’ ability to keep his child safe. Another community member stated the belief that the perpetrator was the child of a DODEA employee. 
• A community member noted that government civilians do not go through the same screenings that military members do before being assigned to Naples so medical or behavioral challenges of dependents are not known until they arrive. This often creates challenges on the school as they may not have the resources needed to best support the student.
• A community member responded by stating that in one and a half years, her child has never met with the counselor. 
• A community member asked if there is a support group available for parents in need of assistance. No such group was named but the Military Family Life Counselors (MFLC) were named as an option with 9 being available in the community. The School Liaison Officer stated she would improve the messaging of these services and will include it in the Naples Navigator.
• A community member stated that there is a bullying problem in school with the same student having daily issues. It was stated that the children don’t feel safe because kids consistently bully and school walks through steps to mitigate the bullying without changes in behavior. It was noted that there is a broken system to deal with this in the schools. Bullying is also traumatizing for bystanders, not just aggressors or victims. 
• The NSA Naples Commanding Officer reiterated his desire for more on prevention options offered by the school and increased communication between the school and the community. He reiterated his authority to conduct an ERD (early return of dependents) if circumstances warrant it. He also reiterated that his MA’s are available to support the school when they are called upon.
• A community member asked if ERDs apply to civilians which he stated he would have his human resources team find out. 
• The NSA Naples Commanding Officer shared his authority to bar personnel from the installation. He also noted that he will be working with DoDEA admin to address recent issues.
• NMHS Principal shared an incident of physical striking 3 weeks ago but that his school contacted security and the CO about it. He stated that students are encouraged to find trusted adults to get help, submit incident reports and discussed that suspensions, in-school suspensions, detentions, counseling, mediation, and MFLC involvement as tools available to him. He is very careful to ensure the school does not under correct or over correct.
• Community members feel this school doesn’t consider or address this repeated behavior issues. One community member stated that he is unsure why the problem is here because it gets handled everywhere else and that he felt that something was broken here.
• A community member proposed the idea of a School Culture/Behavior Subcommittee.  The NES Assistant Principal stated that she is working on getting de-escalating training with substitute teachers and all staff. One member asked if the school has the ability for substitute teachers to support some of the behavioral issues some students have. The NES Assistant Principal noted that the school psychologist has PBIS training, and we are implementing PBIS across the school. She did not have exact numbers at the time but staff are being trained on behavior strategies. She will look into options to train substitutes on this. The community superintendent stated the community has a SPED ISS on site and further resources in DoDEA Europe and there is a LIMS self-contained classroom at NES. The proposal for the sub-committee did not receive immediate concurrence in the room and therefore it was not voted on.
• A community member asked why the NES staff are not allowed to dial 911 in the event of an emergency. The Assistant Principal stated this wasn’t the case but the community member said that the NES office staff stated this was not permitted and that only the nurse can call 911. She confirmed this not to be true and that anyone can call 911 but they are asked to immediately follow up with the nurse and the office afterward. 
• A community member asked about adding more monitors before, during, and after school. The NES Assistant Principal stated that students are not permitted to be on campus before 0745 and there are monitors in the cafeteria and outside during recess. Community members disputed this point stating that there are no monitors outside in mornings. NES admin will investigate monitors and maybe change students time to arrive to campus…will investigate.
• The Acting Chair reiterated that the bullying issues in the school are unacceptable and must be addressed. He recommended looking into establishing a School Resource Officer program in the school based on the integration of these officers into schools cross the US. He stated that they are known to deter poor behavior and reduce response times to incidents when they occur. The Acting Chair stated the community is fed up and more must be done between DODEA and NSA Naples to resolve this issue. 
• The NSA Naples Commanding Officer shared for fact that he doesn’t have manpower to support this but can support walkthroughs and does random enforcement of safety and school admin can request more. It was noted that DoDEA School Resource Officers are funded and supplied by the installation security at Aviano and in Bahrain. He stated that he will do more research on the proposal. 
• Power Outages and impact on operations at the schools.
  • Not addressed due to time.

VI. Reports and Updates

Building Administration Reports

NMHS Administration

• Mod 14 was way maintenance was done…better response system and frequent control. Jeremy Cummingford is trying to work with getting this back and has DoDEA support for maintenance. 
• Big drive is we are at year to look at master schedule for next school year (25-26). Goal is to have class schedules to students before summer recess. 
• Ending winter sports season to transition to spring sports. 
• SAC meeting is 02/20. 
• Assembly’s being finalized but doing 7-8 honor roll on Feb 11 and first semester in high school on Feb 20…checking conflicts. Those take place at 1:15 during student seminar. 
• Spring musical Feb 27-28. Hosting first NJROTC district drill meet (Rota, Sigonella, Naples).

NES Administration

• This Friday, coffee with admin and SAC Feb 27.

School Liaison Officer Report

• No report, but will stay after for specific questions/support and her position requires to have a pulse and is invested in investigating and addressing concerns so she is aware and can be proactive and productive.

Commanding Officer Report

• The NSA Naples Commanding Officer stated that he gets involved when he receives a complaint. Unfortunately he receives ICE comments from all entities except DoDEA’s. Has requested access to them through DoDEA but has thus far had no success. Until this is resolved, he encourages the community to send ICE comments to the school liaison so that he can be made aware of issues and be involved in addressing them. At the moment, he receives roughly 400-500 ICE comments per month. Navy leadership is supportive of those rights, so he is working up DoDEA leadership to view and keep pulse on what is being reported in schools. 
• Admin meets weekly/biweekly with SLO and monthly meetings with CO where issues should be addressed and brought up. Community encouraged to submit ICE through DoDEA and SLO so school can respond but so CO is involved. DoDEA supports the military and installation. 
• Facilities oversight is important…DoDEA has hands full. Looking to employ fulltime employee to circulate and fix things day by day. More collaboration between DoDEA, Public Works, and Mirabella is needed however.

VIII. Open Forum

Opportunity for stakeholders to share concerns or suggestions.

• A community member asked about how the new resignation opportunities are going to affect DODEA. Both schools were unsure as it was too soon to tell what the impacts would be. It was also asked if someone does resign if the position is eliminated. Due to the authority for this process not being in this meeting, it was stated that we have to be patient as all DOD entities work to understand the situation more thoroughly. The Office of Personnel Management is where people should go for more information. 
• The community superintendent shared that safety management training between the installation and DoDEA went two days and was wonderful.
• A community member shared that racism is not bullying but that it remains a serious problem in the school. She reported that kids not of color are asking kids of color for “n-word passes” to be able to use the word. Parents need to talk to their children. Nothing is done to stop this behavior at the moment. The community feels that the schools/installation cannot do anything to address this behavior. What are the next options now that community members have gone to multiple forums, and nothing is getting done. Community members are FED UP and feel they are not heard and there are no solutions.
• Community feels like waiting out is the response. Lack of communication of even “We are working on it with tentative timeline” while resolved. Community members feel there is no point to come to these meetings as they don’t see any actions taken. No follow up once waiting is over…issues go on for years.

IX. Questions

Addressing any outstanding questions from committee members.

• Question from Facebook Live. 
  • An online community member asked about current restrictions for recess activities. An in person community member stated that the students are being punished and losing recess privileges. The NES Assistant Principal stated that all activities that include physical contact are prohibited. She specifically stated that tag, soccer, and kickball are not permitted activities. She was asked about basketball and stated she will look into basketball. 
  • A community member asked if these sports are permitted in gym class, can the gym teacher provide the students ways to play those sports safely and in a cooperative play manner. The NES Assistant Principal stated she will look into this but noted that the PTA bought equipment for outdoor use during recess and the students are abusing those resources making much of what was bought un-usable. 
  • A community member asked if the new PE teacher can utilize outdoor complex space (green space, track, etc.) for outdoor PE class. Other ideas that were introduced: 
    • NES and NMHS teachers communicate to collaborate on shared space usage. 
    • Can we do single sailor/volunteer opportunities to teach and work with games and students at recess. 
    • Can we suspend activities that aren’t enforced then re-introduce? 
    • 3 monitors on the playground to 118 students doesn’t seem like enough. 
    • Can DoDEA coordinate with WatchDOGS? Off duty parents that always circulate through school when off duty. Has organized program and liability insurance. Could be a solution for us here. Parents can head that volunteer program and go to SAC and building leaders agree, it can be implemented. It costs. DOGS (Dads of Great Students). The Acting Chair advised this topic is best to be discussed within each SAC.
• A community member asked that when minutes are published, actions with assignee and date with those actions should happen when publishing.
• The Acting Chair held a vote on the proposal to activate the lunch sub-committee. The community voted to activate this committee unanimously. The Acting Chair asked for volunteers who are interested in joining this committee to contact the chair, Ms. Sexton, upon the publication of the minutes.
• The Acting Chair asked Fleet Compton, who was in attendance, to give the final word. He thanked those that were present for attending and shedding light on concerns with the installation community.

X. Actions and Owners.

(Owner of each task is listed in parenthesis)

1. Publish IAC Minutes. (IAC Chair)
   1. IAC Secretary will send the approved minutes to the below entities to publish on their websites and Facebook. 
      1. NSA Naples
      2. NMHS Admin
      3. NES Admin
2. Stand up a Lunch Sub-Committee within the IAC. (IAC Chair) 
   1. IAC Chair will activate this subcommittee and advertise it through the NMHS and NES offices. 
3. DODEA, in close coordination with NSA Naples Public Works, will provide an update on all facility issues via both the NES and NMHS Newsletters at least monthly. (DODEA Community Superintendent)
4. NES will review recess activity restrictions in close coordination with the NES PE Teacher to improve the safety of outdoor activities while not over-restricting (NES)
5. DODEA will update the community on any teacher resignations which will have a negative impact on the students (DODEA Community Superintendent) 
6. WatchDOG program implementation (NMHS and NES SACs)
7. DODEA support to the NSA Naples Commanding Officer request to receive copies of NMHS and NES related ICE Complaints (DODEA Community Superintendent)
8. MFLC as a resource messaging (SLO)
9. NES and NMHS notify the community on how they will jointly improve the use of traffic barriers before and after school. This plan will be made in close coordination with the NSA Naples Safety Office. (NMHS and NES)
10. NES will confirm and report to its SAC that all staff have been advised of their right to dial 911 in an emergency and then to inform the nurse and the office immediately following (NES)
11. NSA Naples and DODEA will provide the IAC with a report at the next IAC for what steps have been taken and what steps will be taken to deter and improve response to bullying in both schools (NSA Naples and DODEA)
12. NES and NMHS will ensure that law enforcement is notificed in all instances of assault on school grounds. (NES and NMHS)
13. Each school will consider the use of a code of conduct to ensure students and parents alike are aware of what behavior is unacceptable on school grounds and report this to their respective SACs (NES and NMHS)
14. NEX will ensure DODEA lunches are being provided to the students as they are required to be in accordance with applicable regulations or policies (NEX, IAC Lunch Sub-Committee (when appointed))
15. NSA Naples and DODEA will ensure appropriate representation is present during IAC meetings to maximize transparency and thoroughness of the IAC. The IAC will ensure the agenda is published and advertised appropriately to maximize awareness of agenda topics as far in advance as possible. (NSA Naples, DODEA, IAC)

XI.  Adjournment

• Motion to adjourn
  • Adjourned by Acting Chair at 1811.