School board hears policy updates

Mountain Brook Schools Director of Student Services Amanda Hood presented a pair of policy updates at Monday's Board of Education meeting. 

One update pertains to Policy J-43, which addresses technology usage in schools. Hood said the policy changes frequently because of technology's ever-evolving nature.

The latest round of revisions ensures that the district's technology policy stays in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Hood said, citing the example of including closed captioning on videos. Hood said the revisions also address security measures concerning data governance, data collection and data privacy. 

Hood said that tweaks will be made to guidelines supporting the modified policy as well. New guidelines will outline the responsible use of websites and social media by faculty and students, in addition to emerging technology like smartwatches and voice-activated devices like Amazon's Alexa, Hood said. 

"We are receiving more and more questions about those things in an educational environment," Hood told the school board, "and so we wanted to make sure that we addressed that in our policy."

The second update pertains to Policy J-53, which is a new policy that addresses the supervision of low-risk juvenile sex offenders. Hood said this policy is being introduced because of a bill called Annalynn's Law that passed through the state Legislature in 2018. 

"This policy addresses the supervision and the monitoring of juvenile sex offenders who have a low risk of committing repeat offenses and are enrolled, attending class and participating in school activities," Hood said. 

State law requires communication between the school system and law enforcement about a juvenile sex offender's enrollment and gives the courts discretion to determine if the offender can attend school. The policy must be in place by the 2020-2021 school year, Hood said.

"The crux of it is about designing a safety plan to support an individual as the offender and as the victim, to be able to receive a free, appropriate public education," Hood said. 

At the recommendation of MBS Superintendent Dicky Barlow, the board voted to table both policy items until the August meeting to garner community review and input. 

Also at Monday's meeting, MBS Facilities Director Tommy Prewitt updated the board about ongoing summer projects at the schools. They include roofing work at the junior high and high school, along with HVAC replacements at the high school and Cherokee Bend Elementary.

Prewitt said that all projects are on track for completion by the start of the new school year Aug. 13.   

The school board on Monday also:

• Renewed its membership with the Alabama Association of School Boards.
• Approved the minutes from its June 3 meeting.
• Approved the district's May and June financial statements.
• Approved personnel recommendations.
• Approved the sale or disposal of surplus items.

The school board will hold its next meeting Monday, Aug, 12, at 3:30 p.m. in the Professional Learning Center. 

Called meeting June 26

The Board of Education called a special meeting June 26. School Board President Nicky Barnes said the meeting addressed personnel recommendations, along with the 4% state-mandated salary increase that full-time employees will receive this coming school year. 

The board also approved a budget amendment, Barnes said.