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9150 Relations_School Visitors

In order to protect the educational program of the schools from undue disturbance, each principal shall establish
guidelines and procedures for visitors which shall include the following:
 
    A. Persons wishing to visit one or more schools are encouraged to make arrangement in advance through the
        school office of each school to be visited.
 
    B. Every visitor to a school must register at the school office. Sign-in lists showing name, time, person visiting,
        and time departing shall be maintained by the office. Any person who does not register with the school office
        is on school property without authorization and should be asked to identify himself/herself properly and obtain
        permission or to leave the school grounds. If the visitor refuses to leave the school grounds or creates any
        disturbance, the building principal should request aid from the police.
 
    C. No visitor may see a student in school unless it is with the specific approval of the principal. If an emergency
        situation requires that a student be called to the office to meet with a visitor, a member of the administrative
        staff must be present during the conference. A student is never to be permitted to leave the school with
        anyone who is not clearly identified as his/her parent or an appropriately authorized person.
 
    D. Students may not bring guests to school unless permission to do so has been granted by the principal.
 
    E. Parents, other than those who have been asked by a teacher to be in the classroom, who wish to observe
        learning activities taking place in their child's classroom are to confer, in advance, with the principal and the
        teacher and state the purpose of the visitation.
 
        1. Parents are to be silent observers and are not to create any type of disturbance or disruption to the
            learning process.
 
        2. Copies of instructional materials being used by the students or teacher may not always be immediately
            available during the visitation
 
        3. Any comments made by individual students are to be maintained in confidence by the visitor to the
            activity.
 
        4. Use of audio or visual equipment to record classroom activities must be approved by the principal and the
            teacher. No visitor shall be allowed to videotape students in the classroom, without the prior consent of the
            principal, as it may violate the privacy rights of students unrelated to the visitor. Recording of other school
            activities to which the public is invited will be in accordance with AG 9160 - Attendance at Public Events.
 
        5. If the nature and instructional purpose of any activity calls for students to be segregated by gender for
            purposes of privacy, only visitors of the same gender may observe those groups in the privacy areas.
 
        6. Any comments or concerns are to be discussed with the teacher before or after the school day when
            students are not present.
 
        7. If a parent or other visitor wishes to tape record a conversation with a teacher or the principal, s/he should
            request permission from the teacher or principal although the person is not obligated to do so. If the
            teacher or principal wishes to record a conversation with a parent or other visitor, s/he is to inform that
            person that the conversation is being recorded before the conversation begins.
 
            Visitors are to be encouraged to meet with the principal and teacher during noninstructional hours to
            discuss the observation and to obtain answers to their questions. If a parent has a concern about what
            may be transpiring in his/her child's classroom, s/he should follow the Board's Policy 9130 which states
            that the parent is to address the matter first with the teacher and, if not rectified, to then meet with the
            principal.
 
    F. No staff member is to transact business with a visitor who does not have visitor's pass, and/or has not duly
        registered at the school office and received authorization to be present for the purpose of conducting
        business.
 
If a disabled person should visit a school and request accommodation and s/he has not submitted the Request for
Accommodation Form, in advance, the principal should ask the person to allow the school adequate time to
arrange for the accommodation, providing such accommodation is reasonable (see AG 9160A).
 
Each principal shall post in a conspicuous place at each entrance, the guidelines and procedures to be followed by
visitors.
 
Approved/Adopted:  July 13, 2009
ĉ
Sharon Weinstock,
Aug 3, 2011, 12:15 PM