Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy Updates Press topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
McHenry CCSD 15 board takes first reading of revised PRESS policy updates covering ethics, safety, FMLA and more
Summary
Board members reviewed a first reading of multiple policy updates from the PRESS service, including changes to gift limitations, training requirements, facility spending thresholds, AED availability, FMLA computation, and social media language.
The McHenry CCSD 15 Board of Education reviewed a first reading of multiple policy updates on Feb. 25 that originated from the PRESS (policy reference) update cycle and will return for a second reading and possible adoption at the March 11 meeting.
Dr. Kalinski (policy committee) told the board the packet contains only updates and no entirely new policies. Major revisions include clarifying gift limits to reference “district business” rather than a generic meeting description; expanding mandatory board development training to include improving student outcomes and trauma-responsive learning; and updating cross-references and legal citations throughout.
Financial and procurement changes were included: the threshold requiring prior board approval for renovations or permanent building alterations rose from $12,500 to $17,500; updates to school-code citations were made; and the revenue-and-investment policy was revised to consider Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) ratings when selecting depositories.
Safety and personnel changes include a requirement that at least one automated external defibrillator (AED) be present in each district attendance center during the school day and district-sponsored extracurricular activities, and an update to the district’s FMLA administration to a rolling 12-month calculation. Policy language about workplace harassment, equal employment opportunity, and discrimination was updated to add family responsibilities and reproductive health decisions where applicable.
The update to employee ethics replaces “guidance counselor gift ban” language with “school counselor gift ban” and preserves a narrow exception for travel and lodging paid by an institution of higher education for educational programs. Social media policy examples were updated to include new platforms (including NowX) and to explicitly call out smartwatches and other personal technology.
The policy committee posted redline versions on the district website; board members were invited to submit questions before the March 11 second reading.
