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Board holds first readings of technology, discipline and crisis policies; committee opted to omit some MSBA language
Summary
The board reviewed first readings of multiple district policies including staff technology use, student supervision of network use, professional travel, student discipline, public data, and crisis management. Board members asked for clarifications on wording, scope of supervision, confidential communications and phishing training frequency.
The New Prague Area School Board considered first readings of several district policies and raised clarifying questions about scope and wording.
The board reviewed Policy 434 (staff technology use) and discussed language in the general policy statement. Board member Anne proposed adding the word "legal" to a sentence describing expected conduct; she recommended changing wording to "responsible, ethical, legal, and polite." Anne also asked staff to clarify Section 4, "employee supervision of student network use," by specifying it refers to on-site or in-school supervision rather than continuous home monitoring.
On Policy 506 (student discipline) members asked about the district's use of a school resource officer and unscheduled student removal language. The board learned Officer Ambrose serves at the high school on a regular basis; administrators said the position is funded through a negotiated arrangement with the city and the district and believed the officer is present full time during the school day, with contract terms negotiated periodically.
Board members also discussed a 2024 Minnesota Legislature provision related to unscheduled student removal. Policy committee members said they removed some optional MSBA-recommended language from the local draft because the committee judged it unnecessary; the board noted the statute does not require adoption of that model language.
On technology security and training, board members asked about periodic phishing simulations and training cadence. Dr. Volmuth (district staff) said she would gather details about how often phishing simulation tests are administered and report back. Directors asked staff to review wording that restricts use of email and voicemail for confidential student information to ensure it aligns with public-data classifications and common administrative use.
Members requested clearer language where the policy currently uses broad or dated examples (for instance, references to "switchboards" and older media such as CD-ROMs) and asked the policy committee to refine language to reflect current practice. The policy committee said it typically follows MSBA model language but will return with edits to address the board's requested clarifications.
No final votes were taken; these items were considered first readings and will return to the policy committee or a future board meeting for additional review.
