[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6189245,"mediaKeyId","5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783","parentId",5058217,"title","Groveport Madison board debates anonymous complaint language, rejects strike of policy sentence","audioSeconds",2708,"startMs",311000,"endMs",3019000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783&start=311&end=3019","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783/thumbnail_311000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6189245/Groveport-Madison-Local/School-Districts/Ohio/Groveport-Madison-board-debates-anonymous-complaint-language-rejects-strike-of-policy-sentence","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189245-a65b89c44a72f2d65076dfdb47ad5ded/orig.mp4?Expires=1776580640&Signature=P~TONrXQIOk~0uTxvf7x7dS-gAN2dR9WmbDv3B7qEUFWBAKhvtUzHo2ciKscwogFx2zoCo5ClgEBIVmwXi3tswumAAWiklnJVVq7BJeo8JbfpGK7V3W2qo6xuPpbOgtgijpR-9LKlBRo5z13DbWs4apVJUQ6Nd1-o4nYvagnqZp46CFwBIv~dGWrOU4wUnZ~PlUdfQnpEgiM270N27VARq8cLLKFhcAMgwj7gxcCfz~-qlKTqJZ1nmrfRZAWDZBS6uzHcOLcESTP1RzsUTEkeOAMDgmztiRGzXPhhXJf1L50lbclJf9UyVG9p9MgPGrA38jF0M7X-GHcdq1F36u0RQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Groveport Madison School District","date","2025-06-24T07:59:04Z","article","The Groveport Madison Local School District Board of Education spent more than two hours Tuesday debating whether anonymous written concerns should be excluded from investigation under policy IGBLA, the district's parental concerns and appeals policy.

The debate reached two formal votes. A motion by board member Miss Walsh to remove the sentence that reads \"anonymous written concerns may not be investigated\" failed on a roll call vote. The board later adopted two narrower edits: adding \"or designee\" after \"superintendent\" in the appeals steps and replacing the gender-neutral pronoun \"they\" with \"the superintendent\" in the paragraph that explains who determines the resolution to a parent's concern.

Why it matters: The discussion touched on how the district will handle anonymous tips tied to student safety and to the state's Safer Ohio tip line, and whether the board's policies align with union contract language and Ohio law. Board members and staff disagreed over whether the policy should categorically bar investigations of anonymous complaints, allow discretion, or remove the sentence entirely.

Board member Miss Walsh moved to strike the single sentence stating that anonymous written concerns \"may not be investigated,\" arguing that anonymity can be necessary where parents fear retaliation. Policy advisor (staff) Mister Morbisser responded that the model language currently mirrors other district policies and that many existing policies disallow investigation of anonymous complaints because investigation often requires follow-up with a named complainant.

Morbisser told the board that the language came from the district's policy provider and noted the policy's cross-references to other rules on public complaints and personnel. He said anonymous written complaints \"may not be investigated\" reflects discretion rather than a blanket prohibition. As he summarized: \"Anonymous written concerns may not be investigated, is in alignment with other policies that the board already has.\" (Morbisser)

Board members pressed practical examples: several asked whether the district could act on an anonymous submission that included a video or other evidence. One board member said an anonymous post with a clear video could obviously merit investigation, while other members stressed the difficulty of following up on claims without contact information.

When Miss Walsh's motion to delete the sentence went to roll call, the board rejected it. The transcript records the roll call as: Mister Kirschner (No), Mister Bauer (No), Miss Gray (No), Miss Walsh (Aye), Miss Doudelberger (No). The motion failed.

Later, Board member Miss Gray moved two narrow edits to the appeals paragraph to remove pronoun ambiguity and to permit the superintendent to name a designee. That motion was seconded and approved on roll call (Kershner Aye; Bauer Aye; Gray Aye; Walsh Aye; Doudelberger Aye).

The meeting record shows additional procedural steps the board pursued: Board member Mister Kirschner moved that the board president submit policies that state anonymous complaints shall not be investigated to the county prosecutor for review against Ohio Revised Code 3313.661 (Safer Ohio/anonymous reporting). That motion was seconded; the board debated the request and directed the president to seek legal clarification.

Discussion vs. decision: The board distinguished discussion (policy options and examples presented by members and staff), direction (request to counsel/prosecutor for legal review), and formal action (the failed and passed roll-call votes described above). No change that removed the sentence was approved; the only formal policy edits adopted were the superintendent/designee and pronoun clarifications.

What's next: Staff and the board agreed to cross-check the IGBLA language against the district's other policies (including KLD and personnel/collective-bargaining procedures) and the Safer Ohio reporting requirements to ensure consistency. Board members asked that the president submit the referenced policy language to the prosecutor's office for legal guidance on statutory alignment.

Ending: The board left the sentence about anonymous written concerns in place but clarified decision-making language in the appeals procedure and asked for outside legal review to resolve statutory questions and alignment with district policies and negotiated contracts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 23, 2025 - Special Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Groveport Madison Local School District Board of Education spent more than two hours Tuesday debating whether anonymous written concerns should be excluded from investigation under policy IGBLA, the district's parental concerns and appeals policy.","taxTitle","Groveport Madison Local, School Districts, Ohio","taxId",38525,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6189233,"Board approves temporary treasurer appointment",32,815000,847000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783&start=815&end=847","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783/thumbnail_815000.jpg","/articles/6189233/Groveport-Madison-Local/School-Districts/Ohio/Board-approves-temporary-treasurer-appointment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189233-8c39522fd1f3f21a1c022714b7274352/orig.mp4?Expires=1776580640&Signature=GH9kBPQLNki1jug6vMjhgzw68jnAyvVBQ2o7PHqB2vwJ4NJyxh8Tt5kG0y2Sn-Uig5vLhdOHjhW7zQDI9DBdOC6WZBkO7rE4S7FclxF-rjJvpjBAyuHbMF2sq5pbrYklM81OxxzU~-TPjR89OOsiVtoCO3ScOjTUIoHF7bKnqeR~jerW1ZM79E6u~e1kaJE-RPNyjOub7cgaS71Z6F7FewfP4sG4UzSMaCJ2AwpWdAm2DVfuVU~mHfHQ4M~TUxpuQE8WRMUFjn-DlyEelIYalNFPbhtDiZ5icdKS6vX5ulrR3ggBoCxWABjeJpI~FMkyMQg6rtmlDdxfp7VUfjZ6Mg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Groveport Madison Local School District Board of Education accepted Latoya Dowdell Berger as treasurer pro tem for the meeting by unanimous roll-call vote.

Board members moved and seconded the nomination during the meeting and approved it before proceeding to policy items. The transcript records the initial motion: \"I would like to recommend to accept, Latoya Latoya Dowdell Berger as treasurer,\" and the motion passed on roll call.

Why it matters: The appointment enabled the board to proceed with budget- and policy-related items that required a district treasurer or treasurer pro tem to be on record for procedural and minute-taking purposes.

Ending: The appointment was handled at the start of the meeting and recorded in the meeting minutes; no further action related to the treasurer role was discussed in the transcript.","The Groveport Madison Local School District board appointed Latoya Dowdell Berger as treasurer pro tem for the meeting and confirmed the appointment by roll-call vote.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6189238,"Groveport Madison holds first read of device policy; administrators propose phones off and out of sight during school day",505,6680000,7185000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783&start=6680&end=7185","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5058217-82a0b91aa70d505b0f488e57c3b03783/thumbnail_6680000.jpg","/articles/6189238/Groveport-Madison-Local/School-Districts/Ohio/Groveport-Madison-holds-first-read-of-device-policy-administrators-propose-phones-off-and-out-of-sight-during-school-day","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189238-460a1333e63e468727355c1cbb8c3b9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776580640&Signature=JzzbbZmIGskLQbBFbO5GO5VVvlYd3W~EzSj2k0xuuGs9nsCP3yi0s-39WxrGXmVigg0z2o2raz9kur4~Xxxpz8FUaYvCcBdxFfuLDO0UBa3DastRIhXK5sSqaiqkylM5d~KmUWCJ9N2NHosczQ-2-gDKEz-ZTlzE4RTn1F8kJXxEO6pCEkgGWN1DDxZGrLpxOWv1z8nBW5qeZP-nXlDiGf55jgIsKUqQ9Zp0oRRgY-31QKb635dMm3Pwp-hMAWtdHc0huXU50DydgXDmClIgwNRPWuA3U-Rzz-XulNl25AXbgqDTrCbxZcj0Kq6u9MaIdqin2WRNyIF2nxf9YCK7tQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Groveport Madison Local School District administrators presented a consolidated cell-phone and personal electronic device policy for a first read and told the board they plan to return with a final draft for formal consideration before the start of the next school year.

The superintendent's staff and safety committee recommended that, as a baseline, students keep cell phones and personal electronic devices off and out of sight from the time they arrive on campus until dismissal; administrators said the draft policy aligns with Ohio Revised Code 3313.753 and guidance from the Ohio Department of Education.

Why it matters: The policy affects most students and families across the district, touches bus and extracurricular logistics (more than 80% of district students ride buses according to staff), and requires communications and procedures that the district must finalize before school begins.

Deputy Superintendent Mister Smathers, who has led the district safety committee's work on the topic, described the proposed approach: \"From the start of school until school is finished, that the cell phones are to be off and out of sight and not a distraction,\" he told the board. Administrators said the elementary schools already largely enforce phones kept in backpacks and that the high school will pose the greatest implementation challenge.

The board discussed operational questions the staff must resolve before final adoption: exceptions for walks to and from school or bus rides (parents sometimes want students reachable for safety), procedures for extracurricular activities and evenings, how to handle phones discovered in violation (parent pickup vs immediate return), equity concerns for families that cannot leave work to retrieve devices, and whether disciplinary steps should be embedded in the policy or left to administrative procedures.

Staff said the policy as circulated is a consolidated draft that draws from Ohio's model policy on cell phones and from other districts' language; it does not finalize every procedural detail. Administrators requested additional time to cross-reference contract language (GMLEA and other negotiated agreements) and requested that the policy be added to board documents so it can be included in the formal two-reading process.

Timeline and next steps: Board and staff agreed the document could be treated as a first read at the special meeting and that a second read and vote could be scheduled for the July regular meeting, giving administration time to finalize procedures, develop communications for parents and staff (videos, email, website postings), and bring recommended tiered corrective actions to the board.

Ending: The board recessed to allow staff to compile materials; administrators said they will continue district safety committee and parent advisory discussions and aim to have a finalized draft for the July meeting so the district can communicate expectations well before students return to class.","School administrators presented a consolidated draft of a cell-phone and personal-electronic-device policy as a first read. Staff recommended students keep phones off and out of sight from arrival to dismissal, with implementation details and tiered corrective steps to be developed and reviewed before adoption.","actionData","errors"]

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Groveport Madison board debates anonymous complaint language, rejects strike of policy sentence

Board approves temporary treasurer appointment

Groveport Madison holds first read of device policy; administrators propose phones off and out of sight during school day