P0850 BOARD-COMMUNITY RELATIONS

BOARD POLICY:

Within the bounds of legal and ethical responsibilities to pupils, the Board shall endeavor to inform the community about the operations of the school system to establish two-way communications with the community, and to involve citizens in the work of the schools. The Board of Education and the school district operate most successfully with the support of the community. The quality of education in the district is highly dependent upon what the community believes is a good school program and the extent to which the community is able and willing to support such a program. The President of the Board of Education and/or a Board member designated by the President shall be responsible for the Board's procedures in the area of board-community relations.

Implemental Procedures:

1.      Members of the Board of Education must recognize their individual community relations responsibility.

2.      At news conferences and similar public functions, the president of the Board of Education shall speak for the Board. The President may designate another member to speak in his/her behalf.

3.      The Board may form a citizens' consulting committee to assume assigned responsibilities for specific projects of the school district. The committee shall serve in an advisory capacity. It shall cease to function upon the completion of appointed responsibilities and the presentation of a final written report, unless called upon by the Board for additional duties.

4.      Citizen consulting committees appointed by the Board of Education shall conduct their meetings in open public session, unless the topic under discussion would fall within the permissible "executive session" justifications specified in the policy entitled "Meetings of the Board."

5.      In conjunction with the administration, the Board shall maintain two-way communications with the many publics of the school district by (1) providing an information program to aid public understanding of the schools and (2) continuously attempting to assess public opinion as a means of assisting the Board of Education in determining policy and of assisting the professional staff operating the schools.

6.      An annual evaluation of the policies and procedures regarding the relationship between the Board and the community shall be made so that the results may be appraised and necessary changes made to improve the program.

Latest Revision Date: June 1989
Previous Revision Date: June 1977 P0850