RELATIONS POLICY
COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC
Individual members of the Board of Education have a communication responsibility and are encouraged to facilitate the exchange of information between citizens and their schools. However, Board members recognize that authority can only be exercised as a legal quorum.
Inquires received by individual members of the Board shall be handled as follows:
A. Board members should provide information or answers to questions from citizens. If necessary, Board members should have the citizen contact an appropriate administrator. The Board member should request the citizen to notify him/her if a reply has not been received within a reasonable timeframe. If the citizen does not want to contact an administrator directly, the Board member may offer to make an inquiry and provide the requested information.
B. Letters specifically addressed to the Board, its President or Secretary should follow (School District) bylaws.
The agenda for each Board meeting provides two specific opportunities for communication from citizens, administrators, and members of the Board.
The Board encourages and expects routine communication between parents, the public, and district staff. Copies of written communication to groups of parents or large numbers of parents (i.e., SIP Reports, Annual Reports, Newsletters, etc.) will be sent to the Board.
COMMUNICATIONS: DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL-SPONSORED AND NON-SCHOOL-SPONSORED MEDIA
School Sponsored Media:
A. Communications that are developed by employees for system-wide distribution to staff members and/or students must be approved by the Director of Community Relations/Designee. This includes e-mail messages.
B. Communications developed by employees for distribution within the school or department of which they are assigned must be approved by their immediate supervisor.
C. No communications designed to promote an employee’s personal business or other personal endeavors will be approved for distribution other than the (School District).
Non-School Sponsored Media:
A. Communications developed by individuals, groups, or organizations for distribution to employees and/or students for system-wide building, or department distribution must be approved by the Director of Community Relations/Designee.
B. Communications materials designed to promote a profit for an individual, business or organization will only be approved if there is a direct benefit for (School District) Foundation or (School District).
COMMUNICATIONS: BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
In accordance with the Board policy indicating a desire to announce whenever practicable through the media the date, time, location and agenda to be discussed at Board of Education meetings, the following procedure shall apply:
A. The Community Relations Director shall inform the local newspapers, PTA Council President, and (School District) staff members about the Board of Education meeting no later than the Friday before the regularly scheduled Board meeting. This notification can be made by e-mail.
B. A summary of the agenda for the Board of Education meeting will be posted on the (School District’s) website no later than the Friday before the regularly scheduled Board meeting.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Board of Education shall seek to communicate fully with the residents of the District about the schools. This will be through appropriate use of available media, and involvement of residents in district affairs. When appropriate, such intent shall apply to contemplated, as well as completed Board actions.
The Superintendent shall be responsible for the establishment of procedures to provide bulletins, newsletters, and other similar publications concerning the objectives, achievements, needs, and conditions of the public school of this District for periodic distribution to parents and the public. The Superintendent may use other media on occasions that he/she considers necessary in order to inform the public about the schools of the District. All materials printed for mass distribution from School District offices shall be subject to rigorous proofreading and editing by a person designated by the Superintendent.
The Superintendent shall have the authority to issue news releases that have District-wide policy significance regarding the public schools. File copies of all news releases shall be maintained in the office issuing the release.
It shall be the goal of the District to keep citizens adequately informed through local channels of communication on policies, programs, needs, and district planning, as well as newsworthy events such as innovative projects and special events.
Representatives of newspapers and other area media are encouraged to attend Board meetings. Meeting announcements, agendas, summaries of minutes of each meeting, and other related supporting documents will be provided to local newspapers, and upon request, to other news media. It will be the responsibility of the Superintendent/Designee to inform all appropriate news media of Board meetings and to see that they are supplied with appropriate summaries of actions to be taken and minutes of the meetings.
The Superintendent/Designee is responsible for providing information for release to the press and other local channels of communication.
Requests for information regarding the District or requests to the School Board shall be made through the office of the Superintendent/Designee.
Each school and its staff members shall cooperate in keeping the community informed of all newsworthy events or events which would promote the welfare of the school. Such release of information must be approved by the principal.
The budget, statistical compilation, reports, notices, bulletins, memoranda, minutes of meetings, official communications between governmental branches, and other records of the School Board are public records within the meaning of Michigan Statutes (Freedom of Information Statute – Act 442, 1976). Access during normal business hours may be granted to any citizen. When access to school records is granted, examination will be made in the presence of the record custodian regularly responsible for maintenance of the files. Each department is responsible for developing a process for accessing its own records.
BOARD RECOGNITION OF SERVICE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT
The Board will, from time to time, recognize outstanding service or accomplishment on behalf of the district by students, staff, Board members, or other citizens. One form of recognition may be the adoption of a resolution citing such service or accomplishment. Another may be letters of commendation from the Board and other forms of recognition. The Board may invite individuals or groups that have made important school-related contributions or achievements to the Board meeting at which time they will be recognized.
PUBLIC COMPLAINTS
The Board of Education recognizes that the educational process can give rise to complaints involving district staff and/or district practices. In such instances, every attempt should be made through full communication and good faith to resolve the problem at the level at which it first occurred. If necessary, the problem may be referred to succeeding levels of the administration until resolution is reached. Unless limited by law, final resolution rests with the Board of Education.
Any person or group shall have the right to present a complaint, or grievance concerning District personnel, educational program, instructional materials, or the operations of the District. Whenever a complaint is made directly to the Board as a whole, or to a Board member as an individual, the hearing of the complaint shall be held in accordance District policy regarding the Open Meeting Act, and Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA).
The Board recognizes appropriate channels of communication to address concerns of the public. Complaints or concerns involving instructional practices/classroom activities should be directed to the classroom teacher. If additional information is needed, or questions or concerns remain, discussion should be scheduled with the principal. Contact should be made using the following channels should the matter remain unresolved at each level: Director of Curriculum, Director of Instruction, the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, the Superintendent, and finally, the Board of Education.
Consistent with Board policy, complaints shall be handled and resolved, whenever possible, as close to their origin as possible. Members of the community shall not be denied the right to petition the Board to address a complaint. The individual shall be referred through the proper administrative channel for solution before investigation or action by the Board. Exceptions to this regulation are complaints that concern Board actions.
Complaints involving district personnel, the program, instructional materials, or the operations of the district will be addressed using the following procedure:
A. Employee
B. Principal, Director, Supervisor and/or Coordinator
C. Executive Staff
1. Executive Director of Personnel (for personnel)
2. Assistant Superintendent for Business (for non-instructional programs or services)
3. Assistant Superintendent for Instruction (for instructional programs and services)
D. Superintendent
E. Board President
F. Board of Education
Depending upon the nature of the complaint, the individual9s) will be directed to the appropriate level for resolution. A meeting should be scheduled with the appropriate parties to discuss the complaint within five (5) working days after the complaint is received by the appropriate person. If the parties cannot reach a resolution, then the complaint will be put in writing. It will describe the problem (conditions) and expected resolution. The complaint will be processed through the proper channel until such time as a resolution is reached.
Should the complaint involve an employee, and resolution has not been reached, the complaint will be reviewed by the Board President. If it is decided that the complaint needs to be discussed by the Board of Education, the person affected will be notified in advance in accordance with the Open Meetings Act to determine whether the hearing shall be in an open or closed meeting of the Board. Reasonable timelines will be exercised throughout the process.
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEES
The Board of Education is aware of the changing issues and initiatives at the Local, State, and National level, which affect education, especially with regard to (School District). As such, the Board may establish a citizens committee to research these initiatives/issues and provide a report to the Board. Areas, which would fall under the responsibility of citizen committees, could be general in scope and require community input regarding the course of action to deal with the identified subject. The Board will clearly define the charge/scope with a timeframe for presentation of the final report.
Advisory Committees will be comprised of a citizen majority. Citizens will be chosen through a volunteer selection process and appointed by the Board. Staff members will be included on the Committee as a resource to the Committee and serve in an advisory capacity without voting privileges. Staff members will be appointed by the Superintendent/Designee.
Citizen committees shall be encouraged to use a wide variety of informational resources both inside and outside the District. The Committee leadership may recommend additional members to the Board for membership. The Board shall reserve the right to dissolve a citizen committee at its discretion.
Expenditure of District funds by a citizen committee shall be made only with prior approval of the Superintendent/Designee. Supplies, equipment, and personnel support from within the District may be obtained as needed through the appointed Committee staff resource person.
Correspondence between the Board and its committees shall be conducted through the Secretary of the Board. When the Committee is prepared to make a report to the Board, the Board shall schedule the Committee report on their agenda. The Superintendent/Designee shall establish a regulation to identify citizens who would be interested in participating on these advisory committees and identify ways to notify the community of future committees where citizen volunteer services could be used.
PARENT/CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES
Close communication between schools and their communities establishes shared goals and thus builds public understanding of, support for, and commitment to the schools and their educational objectives. The (School District) recognizes the many benefits associated with parent/citizen involvement at the District level. By becoming fully familiar with the (School District’s) programs, parents and other members of the community gain an increased awareness and appreciation of the District’s mission and its various strategies toward fulfillment of that mission. Similarly, strong community involvement insures alignment between schools and the community they serve. If it is clear that major differences of opinion exist in the community on the committee’s work, effort should be made to include representatives from the various viewpoints, the intent being to work toward solutions which are both acceptable to the broadest possible community perspective and consistent with the best educational interests of students.
Therefore, when major initiatives requiring community involvement are undertaken, the following procedures will apply:
1. The Superintendent and/or chairpersons of committees shall announce for various studies and reviews through public forums such as Dialogue meetings, Board meetings, the press, and PTA Council meetings.
2. The Superintendent/Designee will maintain a standing list of citizens/parents who volunteer for committees. Application forms may be obtained from the Director of Community Services.
3. The action plan of each committee will contain a step soliciting germane input from segments of the community most impacted by the committee’s work The scope and depth of community input will vary according to the need as determined by the committee chairperson(s) and/or Superintendent.
4. Parents are to be selected both from the volunteer list and through PTA/PTO Council. Parents with specific expertise may be solicited when appropriate.
5. No single formula for citizen participation on committees will apply to all cases. Consideration will be given to applicants using the following criteria:
a. Persons of good will with an open mind and no special interest group cause to fulfill.
b. Persons with special knowledge and skill capable of understanding complex problems and making a decision based upon information that is factual and research based.
c. Persons capable of making decisions that are in the best interest of student needs and in the best interest of the school district.
d. Persons who will attend all meetings and be on time.
e. Persons capable of analyzing and discussing information presented in large and small groups.
f. Persons with a commitment to reach decisions based upon group consensus.
g. Persons who will use discretion in communicating committee deliberations outside of the forum.
6. Prospective committee members may be interviewed to determine their suitability for a given committee.
7. Prior to their committee service, parent/citizen members shall be provided, as needed, with a review of literature and background information necessary for fulfillment of the committee’s assignment.