October 8, 2025 – Minutes (Draft)

Hillcrest High School Community Council
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 5:00 p.m.
ACR Conference Room
Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Hillcrest HS SCC Attendees 2025-26

Agenda Items

1. September 10, 2025 Meeting Minutes (Review/Vote)
   • Summary: Members reviewed the September minutes previously distributed. No additional corrections requested.
   • Motion: Approve the September 10, 2025 meeting minutes as presented.
   • Vote: Motion made and seconded; passed unanimously.
   • Action: Secretary to post approved minutes.
2. SCC Bylaws (Review/Updates/Vote)
   • Summary: Administration noted state compliance checks and a district template. Members reviewed a shared draft with minor clarifying edits to improve compliance and wording. No substantive objections raised.
   • Motion: Amend the SCC bylaws to incorporate the changes noted in the shared draft.
   • Vote: Motion made and seconded; passed unanimously.
   • Action: Administration/Secretary to finalize and publish the updated bylaws.
3. School Updates
   1.  Hillcrest Free Market / Community (Teen) Center
      • Summary: Usage has increased significantly (showers multiple times per week; several students regularly using laundry). Ongoing efforts support students experiencing housing instability; donations around Thanksgiving and winter holidays will be needed (gift cards are particularly helpful).
      • Discussion: Challenges with retention of donated items; coordination with community partners/corporate sponsors; continued need for clothing/essentials.
      • Internet Access for Students in Transition: Current hotspot approval process is slow and requires repeated disclosure of sensitive circumstances.
      • Actions:
        • Admin to review hotspot workflow with Wellness/IT to reduce steps and stigma (e.g., route through Wellness staff for verification and faster turnaround).
        • Free Market to share specific donation needs/timelines for holiday support.
   2. Attendance — Goals and Incentives
      • Summary: Broad discussion of chronic absenteeism, legal limits on punitive models (prior “NG” system), and equity concerns with policies that rely on parent excuse calls. Other schools’ “asterisk” participation restriction model was discussed; Hillcrest continues to use targeted eligibility checks for activities and teacher-signed trackers.
      • Considerations: Possible exploration of “citizenship” grades (esp. for tardies/behavior), more consistent make-up/retake windows to preserve rigor, and continued weekly grade emails replacing mailed midterm reports.
      • Actions:
        • Admin to visit/consult with nearby high schools piloting attendance/citizenship systems and report back.
        • Leadership teams (BLT/CLT) to draft options for consistent schoolwide make-up/retake timelines.
        • Continue discussion next meeting; consider parent communication staffing options as feasible.
   3. Construction
      • Summary: Athletic field completed and in use; punch-list remains (ADA ramp railing installation, removal of old track remnants, concrete touch-ups). Layout causes accessibility inconveniences until ramp work is finished.
      • Action: Admin to monitor contractor completion and ensure ADA access is fully operational.
4. Proposed District Boundary Changes (Discussion)
   • Summary: Changes primarily impact certain elementary schools (e.g., Silver Mesa); minimal projected impact on Hillcrest at this time. A secondary-level public meeting is scheduled for October 30.
   • Action: Remove from future agendas unless proposals begin to affect Hillcrest enrollment/feeder patterns; members may attend district meetings as interested.
5. Parent/Teacher Conferences Report (Report)
   • Summary: Conferences were held September 22 (in-person) and September 24 (virtual). Participation was strong; in-person nights saw greater interpreter use and more hallway traffic. The school used Google Meet (more stable access than prior Zoom setup). Spring conferences will return to two days (one in-person/one virtual).
   • The following is the count of parents who attended meetings with English and Math teachers:
     • 9th grade – 264
     • 10th grade – 148
     • 11th grade – 137
     • 12th grade – 75
   • Action: Continue weekly grade summary emails; no separate midterm mailers.
6. PTSA Coordination (Update)
   • Highlights:
     • “Husky Heroes” student recognition underway.
     • Parking conditions improved; overflow lot utilization noted (clarify communications about permits as needed).
     • Teacher Grants: Five (5) grants of $200 available; applications open.
     • Reflections: Theme “I Belong”; school submission deadline October 29.
     • Spirit Night: Raising Cane’s, Wednesday, 5–9 p.m.
     • Advocacy: Utah PTA Advocacy Conference in November; continuing effort to schedule a legislator visit in coordination with administration/government classes.
   • Actions:
     • PTSA to publicize Teacher Grants, Reflections deadline, and Spirit Night.
     • SCC/PTSA to identify an SCC representative to join planning for the legislator visit (volunteers expressed interest).
7. Other Topics
   • Staffing note: The school is seeking a hall monitor (Spanish fluency helpful).
   • Safety planning preview: Prior community “pork-chop” crosswalk concern discussed historically; members invited to send any current site-safety suggestions to administration ahead of next month’s agenda.

Adjournment

• Motion to adjourn made and seconded; approved by unanimous consent. Meeting adjourned.
• Note: Members were encouraged to visit the Wellness/Health Fair following the meeting.

Next Meeting

• Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 5:00 p.m., ACR Conference Room
• Anticipated agenda: School Safety Plan and Digital Citizenship Plan (review and vote).
• Brenda McCann (Principal) noted an absence on that date; Areli Nevarez (Assistant Principal) will facilitate discussion on the School Safety Plan, Jenny Olsen will facilitate discussion on the Digital Citizenship Plan during the November 12 meeting.