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School staff present new Parental Bill of Rights; board to consider at first reading

July 30, 2025 | School Board Policy, Portsmouth Boards & Commissions, Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire


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School staff present new Parental Bill of Rights; board to consider at first reading
District staff reviewed a newly codified New Hampshire Parental Bill of Rights and told the school board the district must post the required text on its website and include it in annual handbooks before students return to school. Patty, a district staff member who led the presentation, said two policies in the packet are required by law and “need to be sort of live and in person before students hit our doors,” identifying the parental bill of rights among them. The packet copies the statutory language into a single section intended as a central reference for parents and staff. The district explained the law requires the superintendent to publish a complete copy annually and to keep a permanent copy on the district website and in the annual student and employee handbooks. Staff noted some rights that now appear together were previously scattered across different policies and statutes; they recommended maintaining cross-references where those existing policies remain in force to reduce user confusion but cautioned that maintaining cross-references requires administrative tracking if one policy is later amended or rescinded. Legal notes attached to the sample policy warn the district that several items in the bill of rights may be sources of disagreement with parents and recommended awareness of potential disputes. The proposed presentation to the board was placed on the agenda as a first reading; staff said they would ask the board to consider suspending normal reading rules if members want to approve earlier than the routine two-reading requirement. Staff recommended standard dissemination: website posting, inclusion in handbooks, and notices in beginning‑of‑year materials and ParentSquare messages so families and students have advance notice. The district did not set a formal adoption date during the meeting; staff recommended the board review and act during its upcoming August meetings to have the material in place before school opens. Ending: Staff said the district will prepare the posted text and the cross-references for the board packet and circulate a ParentSquare notice to families in advance of the next meeting.

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