SPS Board members discuss policies

Sidney Public Schools (SPS) Board Members met Monday for their regular meeting, and the agenda tackled various items including updates to current school policies.

School polices for SPS are created by KSB, which stands for Karen, Steve and Bobby. They are three attorneys who founded KSB School Law in 2015, a practice that represents public school districts and other educational institutions. Policies formed through KSB are voted on by Sidney school board members before adopted.

In Monday’s school board meeting policy 5053 and policy 5063 were on the agenda with policy updates.

Policy 5053 is on self-management of diabetes or asthma/anaphylaxis. The policy outlines provisions to develop a medical management plan for a student with diabetes, asthma or anaphylaxis.

There are three parts that the board approved to update to policy 5053. The first two paragraphs that were updated list requirements for medical management plans. The policy had requirements in place before the update, but the approved updates make the policy requirements more

thorough.

In the third paragraph of policy 5053 adds a disciplinary action to the policy that was not there prior to the update. The paragraph states “the district may impose disciplinary consequences on a student with asthma or anaphylaxis who uses his or her prescription asthma or anaphylaxis medication other than prescribed. These disciplinary consequences shall not include limitations on the student’s access to necessary medication. The district will promptly notify the parent or guardian of any disciplinary action imposed.”

Policy 5063 is a policy regarding audio and video recordings of classroom lectures, discussions, or activities. After discussion of the policy, the board made the motion to table the policy updates upon further clarification of the policy changes.

Currently students are prohibited from making audio or visual recordings on school grounds, in a vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by a school being used for a school propose or at a school sponsored activity or athletic events except by following the policy rules. The proposed updates to the policy add stipulations to the recording policy.

Superintendent Jay Ehler said he would reach out to KSB for further clarification on the policy.

SPS policies can be found in students handbooks, in print and online at sidneyraiders.org.

Also in the meeting, board members approved a travel request by Sidney’s FBLA to travel to Washington, D.C. in January, where students will attend the Presidential Inauguration, as well as visiting the Smithsonian, and various Washington memorials.

A letter of resignation was accepted by the board for ACES teacher Caroline Russel. Rebekah Dickman will be stepping in to finish the school year for Russel. Dickman has worked at SPS before and has spent the last few years as a substitute teacher in the district.

New teacher and principal evaluation forms were approved for use by the board. Ehler said the new evaluation forms are similar to the ones previously used. Elher said all teachers receive at least one evaluation a year. Evaluations are due by April 15 each year.

The next SPS Board meeting will be held Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the District Administration Building in Sidney.