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Clay County board members told state law allows campus visits without formal clearance
Summary
Board members at a Clay County School Board workshop discussed recent confusion about whether elected board members must carry special clearances to visit school campuses and agreed to notify principals and staff that state statute permits board member access.
Board members and staff at a Clay County School Board workshop discussed whether elected board members need special clearances to visit school campuses and emphasized that, under state statute, board members are allowed on campus.
Board member Miss Gilhausen, speaking near the start of the workshop, said she had confirmed with the Department of Education that "board members are allowed on campus with or without an [unspecified clearance]" and that "state statute trumps any procedure." She told colleagues the district would remind principals and front-desk staff of that right and that the topic would be raised at the next principals' meeting.
The discussion grew out of several incidents board members described where they felt restricted at school front desks or were asked to wait to be escorted. Board member Speaker 3 (identified in the transcript as a board member who visits many schools) said she had once been made to sit in a lobby despite a prior appointment, and called the experience "confusing." Several board members said they usually call ahead as a courtesy, particularly on testing days.
Board members also raised whether they should obtain the district's Level 2 background clearance to avoid confusion at school entrances. One board member noted she and two others may already have Level 2 clearances but that some members do not; another asked staff member Brenda to identify how board members could obtain clearance if they wished.
District staff said the district had protocols that the board had previously signed and that workers at front desks have heightened security procedures. The conversation concluded with the board planning to clarify procedures at the principals' meeting and to check which board members already have Level 2 clearance.
The workshop record shows the board treated the matter as an operational clarification rather than a change in policy: speakers repeatedly emphasized that board members have statutory access rights but agreed a courtesy practice of notifying schools would continue.
Board members who spoke about the topic included Miss Gilhausen (Board Member), Madam Chair (Board Chair), Mister Albarro/Alvaro (Board Member), Miss Brenda (Staff member) and Mister Brodsky (Staff member).
