The following policies were revised and approved by the Board of Education. Please see a brief summary for each policy revision below.
Policy 1016.1 Employee Accommodations - The District will provide lactating employees, including teachers, an opportunity to pump, breastfeed a child, or address other needs relating to breastfeeding at least three times a school day. The District will provide an exclusive location other than a restroom that is free from intrusion in close proximity to a sink with running water and a refrigerator to store expressed milk.
Policy 1149.1 Leave for Victims of Domestic or Sexual Violence - An employee may request up to two weeks of unpaid leave due to domestic or sexual violence during the course of employment. Such leave shall be available to District employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence, including if a family member or a household member is a victim. The District requests employees give 48 hours notice of intent to take leave when feasible. Employees may be required to provide certification to the District that the leave is necessary.
Policy 2026 Virtual Courses - Virtual instruction can be an effective instructional option for some students and the District may offer virtual courses to students through district staff or by contracting for those services as part of the District sponsored curriculum. Eligible students may also enroll in Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program (MOCAP) courses. The District will accept all grades and credits earned through district sponsored virtual instruction and MOCAP.
Policy 2026.1 MOCAP Virtual Courses - Students must be enrolled in the District and meet eligibility requirements to take a MOCAP course. The District pays for MOCAP courses and is required to accept MOCAP course credit. In accordance with the law, a student in grades K-12 is eligible to take a MOCAP course through the District if all of the following are met:
- The student meets eligibility requirements;
- The student has approval for enrollment in accordance with this policy; and
- Taking the course does not cause the student to exceed full-time enrollment in the District.
The District encourages parents/guardians and students to consult with District staff to ensure that the student is aware of all available academic options and that courses align with the student's academic goals. District counselors or certificated staff will develop individual career and academic plans (ICAPs) for District students enrolled in three or more virtual courses. If a student already has an ICAP, the plan will be reviewed and modified as necessary.
Policy 3039 Married, Pregnant, and/or Nursing Students - Marital, maternal or paternal status shall not affect the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of District students to receive an education. Those students are eligible to participate in all activities and receive all honors as any other students enrolled in the District. Nursing or lactating students must be provided the same opportunity as lactating employees and teachers to express milk, breastfeed a child, or address other needs relating to breastfeeding as provided in Policy 1016.1.
Policy 3045.4 Seclusion, Isolation, Restraint - The Board of Education expects to promote the safety and the prevention of harm to students, school personnel, and visitors in the District. In accordance with Section 160.263 RSMo, as amended, seclusion and restraint shall only be used in situations in which there is imminent danger of physical harm to self or others.
Policy 4013 Qualification of Members - Prior to the seventeenth Tuesday preceding the election, the Board of Education shall, by legal notice publish in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the District the opening filing date, the offices to be filled, the place for filing and the closing date for filing. In addition to the other qualifications listed in this policy, Board of Education members are required by law to successfully complete orientation and training requirements within one (1) year of the date of the election or appointment.
Policy 4053 Executive Sessions - The Board of Education will conduct closed meetings, maintain records and hold votes in accordance with the Missouri Sunshine Law. Closed Meeting Topics Pursuant to the Missouri Sunshine Law, the Board of Education hereby closes all meetings, records, and votes pertaining to:
1. Legal actions, including the District's work product and confidential communications between the Board and its attorney.
2. The lease, purchase, or sale of real estate where public knowledge might adversely affect the amount of money to be received or spent by the District.
3. Actions relating to the hiring, firing, disciplining, or promotion of particular District employees when personal information about the employee is discussed or recorded.
4. State militia or National Guard.
5. Proceedings involving the mental or physical health of an identifiable individual.
6. Scholastic probation, expulsion, or graduation of an identifiable person, including records of individual graduation scores.
7. Testing and examination materials, until given for the final time.
8. Welfare cases of identifiable individuals.
9. Preparations for negotiations with employees and employee representatives, including any work product of the Board.
10. Software codes.
11. Competitive bidding specifications, until officially approved or published.
12. Sealed bids until the earlier of the time all are opened or all are accepted or rejected, and sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract until a contract is executed or all proposals are rejected.
13. Personnel records from which individuals can be identified, evaluations, or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment, but the names, positions, salaries and lengths of service of persons employed shall always be available to the public.
14. Records protected from disclosure by law.
15. Scientific and technological innovations in which the owner has a proprietary interest.
16. Records relating to municipal hotlines established for reporting abuse and wrongdoing.
17. Confidential or privileged communications between the Board and its auditor, including all auditor work products.
18. Operational guidelines, policies, and specific response plans developed, adopted or maintained by the District for use in responding to or preventing any critical incident that is or appears to be terrorist in nature and that has the potential to endanger individuals or public health or safety. The Board affirmatively states that disclosure would impair its ability to protect the health or safety of persons and that the public interest in nondisclosure outweighs the public interest in disclosure of the records. Financial records related to procurement or expenditures related to operational guidelines, policies or plans shall be open records.
19. Existing or proposed security systems and structural plans of real property owned or leased by the District where public disclosure would threaten public safety. Procurement records or expenditures relating to security systems purchased with the public funds shall be open. The Board affirmatively states that the disclosure would impair the District’s ability to protect the security or safety of persons or real property and that the public interest in nondisclosure outweighs the public interest in disclosure of the records.
20. Records that identify and would allow unauthorized access to or unlawful disruption of the configuration of components or the operation of a computer, computer system, computer network or telecommunications network of the District if released. This exception shall not be used to limit or deny access to otherwise public records in a file, document, data file or database containing public records. Records related to the procurement of or expenditures for such computer, computer system, computer network or telecommunications network shall be open.
21. Credit card numbers, personal identification numbers, digital certificates, physical and virtual keys, access codes or authorization codes that are used to protect the security of electronic transactions between the District and a person or entity doing business with the District. However, the record of a person or entity using a District credit card or any record of a transaction that is reimbursed by the District will be open.
22. Records relating to foster home or kinship placements of children in foster care under Section 201.498 RSMo.
The Board shall only close that portion of the meeting facility needed to house the Board in closed session. Members of the public must be allowed to remain outside the closed meeting location so they may attend any open meeting that follows the closed meeting.
