|
PUBLIC RELATIONS/GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES |
KA |
Only through full community understanding of school
issues and the school program can effective means of developing and maintaining
a good school system be achieved. The
Board and school administration are responsible for encouraging the use of all
appropriate means of keeping the community accurately informed about its school
and for understanding community attitudes and aspiration for its schools. To this end, free and open exchange of views
is desirable, proper, and necessary.
|
PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAM |
KB |
It is the desire of the Board that the citizens of
the community be fully informed of the official actions of the Board and
programs and activities of the district.
To this end, the Board directs the superintendent’s
work to make the public fully aware of all aspects of the schools by:
1. Keeping the public informed
regarding the policies, administrative operation, objectives, educational program, and successes or failures of the schools.
2. Furnishing full and accurate
information, favorable or unfavorable, together with interpretations and
explanations of the school plans and programs.
COMMUNICATION
WITH THE PUBLIC
School-Sponsored
Media
The
superintendent and his/her staff are encouraged to use all available
school-sponsored media of communication, such as publications, radio and TV, to
keep the goals, programs, achievements and needs of the schools before the
public.
He/She
may delegate authority to his/her central administrative staff and to the
school principals as he/she sees fit.
But the ultimate responsibility for their performance is his/hers.
It is
this Board's belief and faith that citizens who are adequately informed will
vote more constructively in bond elections.
The
administration is responsible for all informational services to and from the
public except for such matters as the Board may from time to time wish to deal
with publicly itself.
Announcements
to Parents and the General Public
Materials
for district-wide distribution will be released through the central office and
carry the approval of representatives of the superintendent's staff.
The
principal of each school is responsible for routine school announcements to the
parents of his/her school. He/she will
keep a file copy of all such releases for needed future reference, for at least
two years.
All
such announcements and releases of individual school activities must be cleared
by the principal before being released.
School
Sponsored Publications, Radio and Television
Publications
issued by and in the name of the schools of this district shall reflect the
high regard and aspirations of this community’s people for their schools.
There
must be no compromise with high quality of editorial content and effective
format. The exercise of appropriate
economy in materials and production is expected so long as the main purpose is
not jeopardized.
Regular
and special radio and TV programs shall be consistent with the goals of
district schools approved by the Board.
It is important that such programs also reflect the high regard and
aspirations of the people for their schools.
The
School District Directory will be distributed only to those governmental
agencies and other school-related parties which have been authorized by the
superintendent.
A copy
of the directory will always be available in the superintendent's office for
review by interested persons.
Each
school may, with the approval of the principal, establish a school newspaper
for the children of the school and their parents. Such publications should be carefully
prepared if undertaken.
The
principal is responsible for supervising such publications to conform with the intent of Board policy on communications with the
public.
Commercial
establishments whose primary source of revenue is the sale of intoxicants will
not be permitted to appear as advertisers in school publications.
Communications
from Outside the Schools
Students
and faculty of the schools shall be protected from intrusions on their time by
announcements, posters, bulletins and communications of any kind from
individuals and organizations not directly connected with the schools.
The
principals shall interpret this policy strictly. Exceptions may be made when, in their
judgment, the best interests of the students will be served. In case of differences of opinion, the
decision of the Superintendent of Schools will be final.
Publications,
Radio and Television
This
Board invites and welcomes the active interest and participation of newspapers,
magazines, radio and television and other mass media of communication in
promoting the cause of good education in our city and elsewhere. The school district's public relations
director should be contacted for input.
Newscasts,
spot announcements, sports, coverage of other school activities and programs
dealing with the schools must be presented in the public interest. No identification of the schools with the
promotion of any commercial or political enterprise shall be permitted. Students enrolled in the school district who appear on radio or TV programs during or after school
hours shall not be permitted to associate the name of a particular school,
school activity, or the school district with the promotion of any commercial or
political enterprise.
Commercial
Mass Media
It is
the responsibility of the principal to be advised of and to supervise all radio
and television presentations made in the individual school through the school
district's public relations director.
Students
who represent the school through such media should have prior permission from
the principal, who should obtain full information concerning the presentation.
The
school district's public relations director is designated by the principal and
should be assigned the responsibility for informing communications media of
newsworthy school activities. Faculties
should be informed that suggestions for such releases must be channeled through
this individual.
CROSS
REF.: Policies BCBI – Public
Participation at Board Meetings
KBA –
Public’s Right to Know
KCB –
Community Involvement in Decision Making
Media
Privacy
Any
student who does not wish his/her name or picture to appear in any school
publication should submit a written request to the principal.
|
PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW |
KBA |
“…The
public has every right to observe the process, but not to control the
proceedings.”
The
formation and determination of public policy is public business and shall be
conducted at open meetings except as otherwise provided by law.
Except
as otherwise provided by MS Code sections 25-61-9 and 25-61-11, this school
district declares all public records to be public property, and any person
shall have the right to inspect, copy or mechanically reproduce or obtain a
reproduction of any public record in accordance with the district’s adopted
written procedures concerning the cost, time, place and method of access.
§25-61-5
This
district shall establish and collect fees reasonably calculated to reimburse it
for, and in no case exceed, the actual cost of searching, reviewing and/or
duplicating and, if applicable, mailing copies of public records. §25-61-5
|
MEDIA ACCESS TO SCHOOL CAMPUSES, STAFF AND
STUDENTS |
KBB |
It shall be the policy of this School Board that
access to school campuses shall be by permission granted by the Superintendent
of Schools or his/her designee on all occasions. Without such authority having been granted,
all representatives of the media will be denied access to the campuses, buildings,
staff or students of the schools, and principals are hereby instructed to deny
such access.
The district is committed to providing up-to-date information about the district and its activities in a timely and appropriate manner. It is the responsibility of the Board of Education and superintendent to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning with as few disruptions as possible.
All requests should be directed to the office of the
superintendent, whose responsibility it shall be to issue in writing permission
for all access.
CROSS REF.: Policies KB — Public Information Program
KM — Visitors to the Schools
|
NEWS-MEDIA RELATIONS |
KBC |
The
Board wishes to assist the press and other communications media to obtain
complete and adequate coverage of the programs, problems, planning, and
activities of the school system.
All
representatives of the media shall be given equal access to information about
the schools. General releases of
interest to the entire district shall be made available to all the media
simultaneously. There shall be no
exclusive releases except as media representatives request information on
particular programs, plans, or problems.
The
Board shall review periodically district relations with the news media.
District
personnel are urged to take advantage of opportunities to publicize the schools
and the work that is going on in them.
Personnel should try to keep the public informed by getting newspaper
coverage for projects or studies and, where possible, radio and television
coverage.
|
NEWS RELEASES |
KBCA |
The
Superintendent or public relations director will be the press liaison person
for coordinating the release of information concerning the school system and
action of the Board.
The
Board President shall be the official spokesman for the Board, except as this
duty is delegated to the Superintendent.
Teachers
and other staff members shall submit news or news releases regarding the
classroom and other school activities to the school public relations director
who shall submit copies to the Superintendent or his/her designee for
appropriate action.
|
BOARD MEETING NEWS COVERAGE |
KBCC |
The
Board believes that one of its responsibilities is to keep the public informed
of its actions. Therefore,
representatives of the local news media shall be permitted to attend all
regular, special and annual meetings of the Board.
|
PASSES TO ACTIVITY EVENTS |
KBG |
The
following has been approved by the Board of Trustees of the
All employees and immediate family members will be
admitted to school athletic activities without charge. Procedures to be followed at football games are : A Long Beach employee pass will be issued to all
employees. The gate at the north end of
the stadium bleachers will be used by all employees attending the games. The gate worker will admit employees. The employee will sign the book upon
admittance.
By
accepting free admission to the athletic activity, the employee accepts the
responsibility to assist the campus staff with any problems which may arise
during the course of the activity.
|
FREE ADMISSION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS |
KBH |
The
Long Beach School Board passed a policy which allows free admission to any
Admission
to school activities for senior citizens may be gained by either of two
methods. One method allows the
individual to present a
The
Long Beach School Board passed this policy to recognize the importance of
senior citizens to our community. Many
senior citizens have grandchildren performing in our schools and this is an
opportunity for grandparents to stay in touch with the schools.
|
BOARD-COMMUNITY RELATIONS |
KC |
The
Board desires to establish and maintain a good working relation with the
community and as such shall give due consideration to requests from community
agencies. However, the Board shall not
turn over to any community group responsibility which may involve school
administration, instruction, or student supervision.
Also
see BCBI – Public Participation in Board Meetings.
|
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN DECISION MAKING |
KCB |
Community
participation in the affairs of the schools is an important facet of achieving
improved quality of education for the students.
Therefore, the Board intends to make every effort to identify the
desires of the community and to be responsive to those desires.
Citizens
of the district will be encouraged to express their ideas, concerns, and
judgments about the schools through (1) written suggestions or proposals, (2)
presentations at hearings and input at hearings, (3) responses to surveys made
through interviews, written instructions, (4) comments at meetings of the
Board, and (5) service on citizens' advisory committees, such as Shared
Decision Making Councils.
The
advice of the public will be carefully considered. In the evaluation of such advice, the first
concern will be the educational program as it affects students.
Also
see KB, BCBI.
|
STAFF/STUDENT COMMUNITY RELATIONS – SCHOOL
PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY DRIVES |
KD/JO/LB |
Schools
may participate in community fund raising drives, clothing collections, and
similar activities only when participation has been approved by the
superintendent.
No
activity may be undertaken wherein reward or recognition for participation is
given on individual or group basis without prior approval of the
superintendent.
|
SOLICITATIONS BY STAFF MEMBERS |
KDCA |
Teachers
are not to collect funds from students for any purpose without the permission
of the principal.
|
SOLICITATIONS OF STAFF MEMBERS |
KDCB |
No fund
raising organizations will be allowed to solicit funds from staff members or
students without the permission of the superintendent. Solicitation of individual staff members is
prohibited except in instances of school district approved solicitations of health
insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, legal insurance, vision
insurance, dental insurance, and deferred compensation products which have the
approval of the school administration.
Arrangements for individual or group conferences will be made with the
building administrator.
|
USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES |
KG |
See Policy EBH.
|
GIFTS TO SCHOOLS |
KHE |
The superintendent, on behalf of the Board, is
authorized to accept gifts to particular schools or the district. He/she shall report such acceptance to the
Board, which shall officially acknowledge the gifts and thank the donors.
Assets which are donated to the school district must
be recorded at their fair market value at the date of donation. The School Board must acknowledge in their
official minutes who will maintain title of ownership of the donated assets.
NOTE: During
the 1998 Legislative Sessions, MS Code Section 21-17-1 was amended:
1. To provide that the
governing authorities of a municipality “may donate such lands and necessary
funds related thereto to the public school district in which the land is
situated” for the purposes set forth in Section 21-17-1 (1).
2. To provide that “The
governing authorities of any municipality may, in its discretion, donate
personal property or funds to the public school district or districts located
in the municipality for the promotion of educational programs of the district
or districts within the municipality.”
Also see DFK.
|
ADVERTISING IN SCHOOLS/USE OF SCHOOLS TO
PUBLICIZE COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES |
KJ |
No
advertising of commercial products, services or religious beliefs shall be
permitted in school buildings or on school grounds or properties.
This
policy does not prevent advertising in student publications, which are
published by student organizations, subject to administration control, nor the
use of commercially-sponsored free teaching aids if the content is approved by
the administration.
Solicitation
of sales or use of the name of the school system to promote any product or
religious belief shall not be permitted.
|
Public: |
Such
practices as allowing advertising and posters should be avoided as often as possible. Under no conditions may public
advertisements with profit motives be condoned without explicit permission
from the Superintendent of Schools. Any
public advertisement may be announced or posted in the school only after
permission from the Superintendent of Schools has been granted. |
|
Students: |
Student
advertisements, posters, and handouts before released, revealed, or given to
students must be cleared through the principal’s office. |
Neither
the faculties, the staff, nor the children of the schools shall be employed in
any manner for advertising or otherwise promoting the interest of any
commercial, political, or other non-school agency, individual or organization,
except that:
The
schools may cooperate in furthering the work of any non-profit community-wide
social service agency, provided that such cooperation does not restrict or
impair the educational program of the schools.
The
schools may use films or other educational materials bearing only simple
mention of the producing firm and provided such materials can be justified on
the basis of their actual educational values.
The
Superintendent may, at his/her discretion, announce or authorize to be
announced, any lecture, community activity, or film of particular educational
merit.
The
schools may, upon approval of the Superintendent, cooperate with any agency in
promoting activities in the general public interest which are non-partisan and
non-commercial, and which promote the education or other best interests of the
student.
|
ADVERTISING IN STUDENT PUBLICATIONS |
KJA |
The advertising of commercial products or services is permitted in student publications which are published by student organizations subject to administrative control and subject to reasonable publication rates established by such organization.
Solicitation
of sales or the use of the name of the school system to promote any product
shall not be permitted.
|
ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS |
KL |
The
following policies and procedures are adopted in order to comply with the
requirements of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 (hereinafter the
"Act").
Records
Accessible
All
"public records" maintained by the district, as defined by the Act,
shall be made available for access and duplication, subject to the exceptions
and requirements of these policies, and other state or federal laws.
Requests
for Access
Requests
for access to public records shall be filed in writing, on forms provided by the
district management employee, who has responsibility for the area from which
information is requested. The request
must state with sufficient specificity the nature, location, and description of
the public record sought in order to enable the appropriate official(s) of the
district to obtain the records for review and/or duplication. In the event that the request lacks
sufficient clarity or is otherwise unduly burdensome, it will be returned to
the originator for clarification or correction.
All requests to inspect or duplicate public records must be filed
between the hours of
Fees
Charged
As
allowed by statute, the district shall charge and collect fees to reimburse it
for the actual costs of searching, reviewing, duplicating and mailing copies of
public records. All applicable charges
shall be paid to the district in advance of complying with any requests,
pursuant to the following schedule:
Photocopying: 25 cents per page, with a
minimum charge of $1.00 per search.
Searching & Reviewing: An hourly charge of $5.00, or in the event
it is necessary for supervisory personnel to conduct the search and review,
then an amount which equals the actual wage per hour of such person.
Postage: Actual
cost of postage shall be assessed for all records mailed.
Any
request which will require considerable assistance of school personnel for
searching and reviewing shall be subject to a minimum deposit of $25.00. In the event that the actual cost is found to
be less than $25.00, the balance shall be refunded to the originator of the
request at the appointed time for the inspection and/or duplication.
Exempt
Records
The
following records are exempt from the Act and from this policy and shall not be
subject to disclosure, except under other authority and under appropriate
circumstances.
1.
Records furnished to public bodies by third
parties which contain trade secrets or confidential, commercial or financial
information, as provided by the Act.
2.
Records which are confidential or privileged, as
provided by constitutional, statutory or case law of this state or of the
3.
Records which are developed among judges, judges
and their aides, and juries.
4.
Personnel records, including but not limited to
applications for employment, test questions and answers used in employment
examinations, and letters of recommendation.
5.
Test questions and answers in the possession of a
public body which are to be used in future academic examinations.
6.
Records which represent and constitute the work
product of an attorney representing the district, records which are related to
litigation by or against the district, or in anticipation of prospective
litigation, and communications between the district and the attorney in the
course of an attorney-client relationship.
7.
Records which would disclose information about a
person's individual tax payment or status.
8.
Records concerning the sale or purchase of
property for public purposes prior to the announcement of the purchase or sale
where the release of the record would have a detrimental effect on the sale and
purchase.
9.
All educational records of students and former
students, as defined by the Federal Privacy Act; such exemption shall also
apply to letters of recommendation respecting admission to any educational
agency or institution.
10.
Records that are maintained regarding the process
of detection and investigation of unlawful activity, in addition to such
records as defined in Section 45-29-1 of the Mississippi Code of 1972.
11.
Commercial and financial information of a
proprietary nature required to be submitted to the district.
Denial
of Access
In the
event that the district denies a request for access to or copies of public
records, the denial will be in writing and contain a statement of the reasons
for the denial. The district will
maintain a record of all denials for a period of three (3) years.
LEGAL
REF.:
§37-11-51
|
VISITORS TO SCHOOLS |
KM |
Parents
are encouraged to visit the schools. The
classroom teacher shall be informed as to the day and time of visits so as to
avoid any conflicts with the school schedule.
All
visitors to schools shall report immediately to the school office, except when
parents have been invited to a classroom or assembly program.
Unauthorized
persons shall not be permitted in school buildings or on school grounds. School
principals are authorized to take appropriate action to prevent such persons
from entering buildings or from loitering on grounds. Such persons will be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law.
Out-of-town
visitors who have made arrangements through the Superintendent’s office will
have a member of the Superintendent’s staff or a principal as host for the
visitor or delegation.
Members
of the supervisory or administrative staff who have invited professional
visitors may elect to serve as hosts to the visitors whom they have invited, as
well as to other visitors who may have a mutual interest and area of
competency.
Parents
and other persons who wish to visit the public schools should be routed to the
school office, be greeted by the principal and guide services. All visitors are to be made to feel welcome.
There
shall be no solicitation of teachers or students on personal matters on the
school premises by salesmen or agents.
Any
person desiring to visit a school must report upon arrival at the school to the
principal’s office for clearance. The
principal shall have the right to deny visitation rights to any individual if
in the judgment of the principal the visit might negatively affect the
classroom procedures.
The
schools, because of space factors in the classrooms and the importance of
classroom instruction, require that student visitors have prior approval of the
principal.
Also
see BCBI, KBB.
|
COMPLAINTS – TITLE I, ECIA
– PUBLIC |
KN |
*TITLE I, ECIA
PROCEDURE FOR COMPLAINT RESOLUTION
The
following procedures will be followed if a complaint concerning TITLE I, ECIA is received by the school district:
1.
Record initiated -- within five (5) days of
receipt of a written complaint, or an appeal from a person or persons against
the operation of Title I, ECIA at the local level, the local Title I, ECIA office will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in
writing. All written complaints must
include signature and address of the complainant.
2.
Within ten (10) working days of the acknowledgment
of the complaint, the complainant will be afforded an opportunity for an
informal hearing with representatives of the local Title I, ECIA office at
which time oral and written testimony may be taken.
3.
Failure to resolve the complaint in an informal
sitting will necessitate a formal hearing on the matter. The complainant will be advised on the right
to request in writing a formal hearing.
The complainant will have fifteen (15) days from the date of the
informal hearing to make a written request for formal hearing. Upon receipt of the request for a formal
hearing the LEA shall make, when necessary, an on-site investigation of the
complaint.
4.
The formal hearing will be conducted by the local
Superintendent and School Board. The
local hearing panel will provide opportunity for the complainant or the
complainant's representative, or both, and the local educational agency
involved to submit evidence, including the opportunity to question parties to
the dispute and any of their witnesses.
5.
The entire procedure, from receipt of the
complaint to a satisfactory resolution, shall be completed within a period of
not more than sixty (60) days.
6.
The complainant has the right to appeal the final
resolution of the Local Educational Agency to the Commissioner of Education
within thirty (30) days after receipt of the written decision.
*Formerly
Chapter I
|
COMPLAINTS ABOUT INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS |
KNBA/IFAB |
The
Board assumes final responsibility for all books and instructional materials it
makes available to students. However, it
recognizes the right of individual parents regarding controversial materials
used by their own children.
While
the Board will not permit any individual or group to exercise censorship over
instructional materials and library collections, provision will be made for the
reevaluation of the materials upon formal request. On the other hand, students' right to learn
and the freedom of teachers to teach shall be respected.
(See
IFAB.)
LEGAL
REF.: MS CODE §37-7-301 (1993)
Also see BCBI, KN, IFAB.
Policy | LBSD | LBHS | LBMS | Quarles | Harper McCaughan | Reeves