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Board work session on community relations policies highlights locker‑room camera concerns, parent empowerment and livestreaming
Summary
During a work session the committee reviewed multiple community relations and recreation policies. Members set aside several items for further review and made changes on parent‑empowerment language; concerns were raised about cameras in locker rooms and how to handle livestreaming of school events.
The Milwaukee School District committee held a work session to review community relations and recreation policies and flagged several items for further work with legal counsel and policy vendors. The session included substantive discussion of recording devices in locker rooms, parent empowerment language, sports broadcast and livestreaming, school engagement council reporting, visitor rules for registered offenders, and veterans serving as volunteers.
On the policy about recording devices in locker rooms (policy 9151), several directors said they were uncomfortable enumerating permissible recording in locker rooms. Director O'Halloran said he felt “a little apprehensive about the idea of recording devices in locker rooms regardless,” and other members asked administration to table the item so staff and legal counsel could refine the language. Chair Zomber agreed the policy needs more attention and the item was set aside for revision.
On parent empowerment (policy 9110), the committee agreed to strengthen the wording. Director Benoit moved to change the policy language from “commits” to “shall” when describing the district's obligation to establish written procedures for hearing and resolving parent complaints; the motion passed on a roll call vote.
Members discussed sports and special events news coverage (policy 9121) and asked whether the policy should explicitly address livestreaming. Director Jackson suggested adding livestreaming; Ms. Chambers (administration) recommended taking the item to NEOLA for language that would cover evolving technologies while making clear the policy addresses third‑party or organizational broadcasts, not individuals in the stands. The committee also discussed school engagement councils (policy 9141) and whether annual reports on council activities should be scheduled to come to the PACE committee before a full board report; members asked administration to coordinate with the PACE chair and the Office of Board Governance.
The committee set aside policies related to public requests about instructional materials, visitor protocols for registered offenders, and veterans as classroom volunteers for further legal and policy review. For veterans, directors sought clarity that volunteer background checks and regular volunteer application processes would still apply even where the policy provides recognition for veteran service.
At the close of the session, the committee adopted the balance of the policies in the packet that were not set aside, on a motion by Director O'Halloran. Several policies noted during the work session will return with revised language after consultation with NEOLA and legal counsel.
