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Board debates handbook language on communications, mentorship and remote participation
Summary
Board members reviewed handbook wording on mentor responsibilities, monitoring communications and remote participation notice; members flagged a conflicting sentence about quorum and suggested clarifications and a simple MSBA training reference for mentors.
SARTELL — Board members reviewed portions of the draft board handbook covering mentor responsibilities, expectations for monitoring communications and rules for remote participation, and identified wording that they said needs clarification.
One board member suggested adding a concise reference to mandatory training for mentors, saying, “I just I think there should be a just a simple entry saying, you know, required MSBA training C page whatever.” The comment referenced MSBA training (Minnesota School Boards Association) as an example of material mentors should consider.
Another speaker proposed a clearer expectation for board members to monitor email and other communications, recommending that “emails and other communications should be monitored at least once a week.” Board members discussed whether the handbook language is broad enough to capture routine duties such as responding to constituents and staying current with district information.
The board also debated language that concerns remote participation and a sentence referring to “the absence of a quorum,” which one member said conflicts with other handbook provisions. “...in the absence of a quorum because that just conflicts. So either we believe that sentence and say, okay, or...” the member said, urging the group to reconcile the text.
Members reiterated that board discussions should generally occur at the board table rather than in private conversations outside meetings, and suggested expanding examples and clarifying notice requirements for remote attendance. One member said they do not need three days’ notice but asked that remote participation be announced “as soon as you know” to avoid habitually short notice.
No formal amendments to the handbook were adopted at the meeting. Members asked staff to reconcile the conflicting sentence about quorum, to add a brief MSBA training note for mentors, and to broaden language on communications monitoring. Specific deadline language and final handbook wording were not finalized during the discussion.
