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School Board discusses 'parental concerns' policy, advertisements for bids

The Rogersville Review - 8/9/2017

ROGERSVILLE - The Hawkins Co.Board of Education spent a large part of its Thursday evening, Aug. 3, meeting discussing a pair of innocuous-looking agenda items.

The first was what appeared to be a simple request to advertise for bids for a welding classroom ventilation system for Volunteer High School. The second sought approval on first reading of revised policy 5.502 (which deals with Handling of both complaints about school personnel and parental concerns). Tied to the new policy was deletion of Policy 4.6011, which Policy 5.502 is to replace.

Bid advertising discussion

When the BOE reached the approval to advertise for bids for the welding classroom ventilation system for Volunteer High School, BOE member Tecky Hicks asked how long it takes to advertise for bids through the Hawkins Co. Mayor's Office (which acts as the county's purchasing agent), including publishing, receiving and opening them.

Director of Schools Steve Starnes replied that the bidding schedule is set by the mayor's office and that bids normally are opened 10 days after they are published in the Rogersville Review.

Hicks asked if it would be possible also to advertise for bids in Kingsport Times-News in an effort to ensure that a wider variety of vendors might see advertisements and submit bids for county school system projects and product needs.

BOE member Chris Christian then said to "widen exposure" by also advertising in the Times-News for bids on the welding classroom ventilation system and subsequently to see if the extra expense was "worth it."

Director Starnes asked if Christian was suggesting a "pilot" test of wider bid advertising on the welding classroom ventilation system. He also noted that, "if we spend enough money we will have to dip into the fund balance."

BOE Chairman Bob Larkins asked if the mayor's office could be asked about also advertising in the Times-News in addition to the Rogersville Review and BOE member Holly Helton asked if the cost of advertising for bids in the Times-News could be checked before a commitment to do so was made.

Christian subsequently made a motion to approved a number of similar agenda items, but also to amend agenda item No. 4 (advertising bids for the welding classroom ventilation system) to call for advertising also in the Times-News (in addition to the Review) "just to test the waters" so long as the cost did not exceed $200.

After a second from Holly Helton, the BOE voted to approve the motion to test broadening.

Policies On Parental Concerns, Personnel Complaints

The second agenda item that turned into a lengthy discussion took place under the unfinished business portion of the agenda and involved proposed approval on first reading of Policy 5.502 (complaints about school personnel and responding to parental concerns).

At the outset, Director Starnes went through the changes that he had made in the policy as the result of a request the BOE made during the July BOE meeting. He noted that a five-school-day deadline for responding to parental concerns had been added at all steps of the concern-resolution process.

"In my research in looking through (the policies) of other systems, I thought this was a pretty good policy," Starnes told the board in asking them to continue reading through the revised policy.

BOE member Christian asked about adding a requirement that complainants be informed of the results of any investigations.

"So at line 23, add 'at the conclusion of the investigation, the director of schools will follow up with the complainant'," Starnes said.

At that point BOE member Hicks began raising objections.

"To me this doesn't fix anything," Hicks said, noting that he felt combining the two existing policies was a mistake. "I believe they (parental concerns and personnel complaints) have to be segregated. I don't think you can have parental concerns tied in with personnel.

"If you go through and look at our policies, and Lord knows we've got plenty of them, there's nothing in the (student) handbook that even deals with parental concerns on a general basis. I want them to know what they can and cannot do. There's nothing in the handbook that specifically says what a parent does if they have a complaint."

Starnes subsequently read aloud a section of the student handbook that did address how parents where to address there concerns to teachers, supervisors and the director of schools.

"But there's nothing in the handbook that tells them what policy to go to," Hicks replied. He then read aloud a section of the handbook that referenced other policies.

Hicks then asked about a section of the handbook that said the school system was supposed to notify parents and students about students' privacy rights. "How do we communicate that to parents?" Hicks asked.

"There's a (parental) sign-off on it (the handbook)," Starnes replied.

"Do they (parents) specifically know exactly what they are reading?" Hicks then asked. A wave of laughter erupted from the audience.

"If we get in a situation where we get the snot sued out of us ? and don't think it isn't possible because it is possible," Hicks said. "Why can't we streamline the policy on addressing parental concerns and let them know what they need to do. You can put it in here (the student handbook) in a section and at least make reference to Board Policy 4.6011."

Christian then asked if the parental sign-off page from the handbook gets turned in to schools.

Starnes said that in many cases parents do return the sign-off page to their childrens' schools, but that the school system doesn't demand that they do so.

"Our policies are online," Starnes said. "And if there is a complaint or a concern, we're going to hear about it," Starnes said. "Some people follow procedure and most concerns are resolved at a very low level. Sometimes, I receive calls. Last year I received a call ? not a call, an email. They were going to take a kid out of school and they wouldn't be back until the last week of school. I called the principal and told (him/her) that they needed to contact the parent and see what's going on. They did and it was a misunderstanding. Most of the things are handled at the lowest level and are taken care of. If there is a question and they go through these steps, they are made aware of their rights.

"We're not setting around trying to pull the wool over people's eyes are hide things from them. We publish this handbook every year and it's gone up to 69 pages. We spend time at the beginning of each year going over it with students."

Hicks the said he wanted to make if "perfectly clear" that "policy is this board's responsibility."

"By delegating policy to Mr. Starnes, we are out of order," Hicks said. "It's not Mr. Starnes' job to make policy. It's not Mr. Starnes' job to write policy or even configure it. It's our job."

Chairman Larkins replied that he felt it was Director Starnes' job to enforce policy.

"It's his (Starnes') job to make procedures to follow the policies that we (establish)," Hicks said.

He then lectured his fellow board members on TSBA policy training that he and they had received.

"Our job is to determine the how and the why," Hicks said. "It's the school director's job to come up with the who, what, when and why."

Hicks then quoted from TSBA information about what "true boardsmanship" entails.

"Written policy increases the likelihood of the board getting what it wants," Hicks quoted from a TSBA document ? Policy is the voice of the board speaking when it is not convened. Policy should not be developed in an ad hoc, catch-as-catch-can fashion ? The aim of constructive policy is to place the school system in a steady path toward attaining its vision.

"So that's our job and it's one of the few jobs we've got ? making policy."

Larkins replied that he had thought Hicks was going to read something that said it was not Starnes' job to enforce policy.

Hicks said enforcing policy was the wrong term. "Policies are guidelines for running your business, or school system," Hicks said. " I don't think you would enforce it. If there is a violation of that, I think it falls directly on the director of schools."

"I think we all agree with that," Larkins replied. He noted that the BOE had discussed the policy in question last month and was continuing to talk about it. "I don't see how you can say we're derelict in creating policy," Larkins said. "That's exactly what we're doing tonight."

Hicks then argued that the BOE had been "out of order" in asking Director Starnes to combine the two policies during the July meeting. "That's not his job," Hicks argued.

The board then began discussing how to consider an objection from Hicks about consideration of the revised policy.

After some animated discussion, Hicks denied that he was objecting to the revised policy combining the previous parental concerns and personnel complaints policies.

Christian then made a motion to approve new Policy 5.502.

When a vote was taken, the BOE voted to approve the revised policy, with only Hicks voting against the measure. The board then approved a motion to repeal the existing Policy 4.611, which had been redundant by the combining of language from it with Policy 5. 502.

Overnight Athletic Trip Forms tabled

The BOE next turned to a request to approve newly developed 2017-18 field trip and overnight athletic trip forms.

But Christian who had requested last month that the board receive more information in advance of overnight athletic trip requests before being asked to approve them, quickly asked that the matter be tabled so that he might have more time "to digest this information."

"Is it a question that we all can hear?" Larkins asked.

"I'm just getting this information," Christian said. "I still have reservations about some issues."

After asking for a second to Christian's motion and hearing none from the floor, Larkins offered a second himself. The motion to table consideration of the field trip and overnight athletic trip forms then carried with one member abstaining.

The matter had arisen at the July BOE meeting, with Christian saying he would like for the board to receive more information about overnight athletic trips, in particular, before approving them.