BOE approves policy updates, sets budget hearings

In a brief meeting the day before students start the new school year, the Mountain Brook Board of Education approved two new policies.

The first is Policy J-43, which governs technology use. The updates are related to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, data security and responsible use of technology in schools. MBS Superintendent Dicky Barlow said the board did not receive any public comments after the first discussion of the policy in July.

The second policy, J-53, was an update to bring the school system in compliance with state law after the passage of a new bill regarding low-risk juvenile sex offenders who are attending regular classes. The policy governs safety and communication between the offender, school system and law enforcement in cases where the offender is deemed unlikely to commit a similar crime again. 

This policy was also introduced in July and had no public comment, Barlow said.

The BOE will hold two budget hearings in September for the new fiscal year. The meetings will be Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Charles Mason Board Building and Monday, Sept. 9, at 3:30 p.m. at Mountain Brook High School.

The board also heard a review of financial statements for the school system from July, which showed that 95% of the budgeted revenue the school system anticipated had been collected, while 81% of budgeted expenditures had been spent.