1250

Community Relations

School Visitors

The Board of Education (Board) and staff of the school district welcome and strongly encourage members of the community and other interested persons to visit the schools. Such visits shall be regarded as expressions of interest in school affairs and/or efforts to become informed about school programs and activities.

The Superintendent shall establish regulations which:

1.  Encourage school visitations.

2.  Provide for appropriate hospitality for visitors.

3.  Channel expressions of approval and constructive criticism to the Board of Education.

4.  Ensure that public visits will not hinder the educational program.

5.  Require all visitors to register in the principal's office upon arrival at the school.

6.  Ensure student safety.

Visits to individual classrooms during instructional time shall be permitted only with the Principal's and teacher's prior approval. Such visits shall not be permitted if their duration or frequency interferes with the delivery of instruction or disrupts the normal school environment. When a visit involves a conference with a teacher or the Principal, an appointment should be scheduled during non-instructional time.

The Board desires to work collaboratively with parents with an educational nexus with the district, its educational programs or the student being observed, to observe the students in their current classrooms or observe proposed educational placements in the Board's schools.  The Board, through its administration, reserves the right to limit observations of current and proposed educational placements in accordance with administrative regulations and the Board's Guidelines for Independent Educational Evaluations.

Since continuity in classrooms is often difficult to achieve and maintain, while visiting in a classroom, a visitor must not interrupt the class in any way, nor speak to (unless invited to do so) or disturb the students or teacher.

Although Board of Education members are encouraged to visit schools independently, they have authority only in regularly called meetings of the Board of Education, or when delegated specific tasks by specific Board of Education action.

Optional: The Superintendent, working with building administrators, shall develop and implement procedures regarding campus visitors who are identified as sex offenders. These procedures shall address (1) parental rights; (2) escort by District personnel; (3) access to common areas of the campus; (4) access to classrooms; (5) drop off and release of students; (6) eligibility to serve as volunteers; and (7) any other relevant issues.

The Principal or his/her designee shall have complete authority to exclude from the school premises any persons whom he/she has reason to believe are disrupting the educational programs in the classroom or in the school, are disturbing the teachers or students on the premises, or whom the Principal believes are on the premises for the purposes of committing an illegal act.

Another version to consider:

The Board and staff of the school district welcomes and encourage parents or guardians, members of the community, and other interested persons to visit the schools.  To preserve the security of the schools, all visitors must check in at the main office where they shall be given whatever information or assistance is required. All visitors are required to wear school-provided identification badges for the duration of their visit.

Another version to consider:

The Board of Education encourages visits by citizens, residents, and parents to all school buildings.  In order to promote a safe and productive educational environment for all students and staff, the Board of Education requires all visitors to receive prior approval from the school Principal or his/her designee before being permitted to visit any school building.  The Board of Education, through the administration, reserves the right to limit visits in accordance with administrative regulations.

Upon arrival, all visitors must comply with any applicable building security procedures, including but not limited to utilizing security buzzers for access, complying with requests for photo identification, reporting directly to and signing in and out at the visitors' reception area of the school office, prominently displaying visitors' badges or other identification required for visitors to the school buildings, limiting access to those areas of the buildings and grounds for which the visitors have authorized access, and complying with directives of school officials at all times.

Legal Reference:  Connecticut General Statutes

53a-185 Loitering in or about school grounds: Class C misdemeanor

"Guidelines Regarding Independent Educational Evaluations at Public Expense and In-School Observations," Connecticut State Department of Education (March 28, 2018)

Policy adopted: