Policy 903 - Visitors to Schools and Sites

I.    PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to inform the school community and the general public of the position of the School Board regarding visitors to school buildings and other school property.

II.    GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

  1. The School Board encourages interest on the part of parents and community members in school programs and student activities. The School Board welcomes visits to school buildings and school property by parents, community members and guests from other school districts, provided the visits are consistent with the health, education and safety of students and employees and are conducted within the procedures and requirements established by the School District.
     
  2. The School Board reaffirms its position on the importance of maintaining a school environment that is safe for students and employees and free of activity that may be disruptive to the student learning process or employee working environment.

III.    RESPONSIBILITY

The District Administration shall present recommended visitor procedures and requirements to the School Board for review and approval. Upon approval by the School Board, such procedures and requirements shall be an addendum to this policy.

IV.    VISITOR LIMITATIONS

Implementation of this policy during the regular school day and in the classroom setting must consider the following:

  1. Student Safety: Parents and guardians send children to school expecting that reasonable precautions will be taken for their safety and well being. To this end precautionary steps must be built into visitation procedures.
     
  2. Classroom Teaching/Learning Climate: Students and teachers are sometimes distracted when visitors are present. Research reveals that time on task is closely associated with pupil achievement. Therefore, visitations should be planned to minimize interruptions, reduce loss of learning time, and avoid talk with teachers when students are being supervised.
     
  3. Accuracy of Information: Some ongoing school activities are not self-explanatory. Efforts should be made to make the visitation as useful and accurate as possible to the visitor and as fair and objective as possible to the program and district employee being visited.
     
  4. An individual or group may be denied permission to visit a school or school property or such permission may be revoked if the visitor(s) does not comply with the School District procedures and regulations or if the visit is not in the best interest of students, employees or the School District.
     
  5. An individual or group who enters school property without complying with the procedures and requirements may be guilty of criminal trespass and thus subject to criminal penalty. Such persons may be detained by the school principal or a person designated by the school principal in a reasonable manner for a reasonable period of time pending the arrival of a police officer.

Approved: October 7, 2004