Board reviews KSBA policy packet; debate centers on investigations, parental leave, SRO agreements and public participation rules

The Oldham County Board of Education on Aug. 7 reviewed a packet of proposed policy updates from the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) and discussed changes spanning investigations, public participation at meetings, parental leave, school resource officer (SRO) agreements and other operational items.

Why it matters: Policy changes govern how the district conducts employee investigations, preserves evidence, communicates with students and the public, staffs schools with SROs, and provides family leave. Several items carry legal or timing implications — notably the SRO contract language the district wants in place before the school year begins — and the board discussed whether to adopt model KSBA language, keep current local language, or amend KSBA drafts.

Investigations and records Board members pressed for a uniform, documented process for employee investigations, including charging letters, evidence retention and written findings. Board member Dennis argued for specific, documented steps and said he worried past investigations had been incomplete; he asked for a policy that would standardize collection and storage of evidence.

Outside counsel and model‑policy counsel pushed back on making investigations overly prescriptive. Mr. Powell, who identified himself as an attorney with KSBA, said KSBA model policies and existing legal frameworks (for example, Title IX for sexual‑misconduct allegations) already provide context and that adding detailed, rigid procedures in a single new policy could “muddy the water” and reduce flexibility in responding to distinct legal contexts. He recommended training for administrators and tailored procedures for different types of allegations rather than a single long investigative policy.

Counsel from Dinsmore and the district’s counsel echoed that state record‑retention rules and existing statutes control how long certain materials must be kept and that preserving all video or data beyond required retention could create storage and legal risks; they recommended following the state retention schedule and preserving materials when formal claims or legal preservation requests are in place.

Public participation and board meeting procedures The packet included KSBA model language for public participation (policy 1.421) and the district’s current policy. Several board members said they preferred the KSBA model’s concise structure but wanted to keep the board’s local language that gives “the board as a whole” final authority over rulings; staff and counsel recommended combining KSBA language with that local sentence and bringing a revised draft forward for first reading.

Parental leave Board members discussed extending paid parental leave to adoptive parents and to non‑birthing parents after recent state changes to wage/leave rules. Counsel from Dinsmore recommended parity (equal leave) for birth and adoptive parents to comply with Kentucky Wage and Hour Act amendments and federal requirements; staff recommended adopting 30 working days of paid parental leave for both certified and classified employees and drafting eligibility/notification language. The board indicated support for approving parental‑leave changes as an action item.

SROs and timing Staff and counsel said the district needs to finalize SRO policy/agreement language (distinguishing between districts that employ police officers and districts that contract with local police agencies) before school opens; the district’s SROs are employees of the local law‑enforcement agency (LaGrange Police Department/Oldham County Police Department in the packet) and not district employees. Because school begins soon, counsel recommended approving SRO-related policy changes at first reading as an emergency action if the board chooses to do so.

Other operational items The board discussed: a board‑member expense and overnight‑stay threshold (members suggested a 50‑mile guideline for overnight reimbursements when not supervising students); a longstanding bus‑driver attendance incentive (drivers earn occasional days off for perfect attendance between scheduled training/work days) and concerns about consistency and operational effects if that incentive were canceled; and proposed use of student representatives (three high‑school representatives was discussed) for board engagement.

Ending Staff attorneys and KSBA counsel agreed to draft revised language that incorporates the board’s preferences (for example, KSBA public participation language with the board‑as‑a‑whole sentence), to circulate the writeups for review, and to present action items on parental leave, SRO policy and other items for approval at the board’s next available meeting. No final votes on these KSBA‑related policies were recorded at the Aug. 7 work session.