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Board approves policy revisions including separate vote on Title IX language after member requests
Summary
The board approved a slate of policy revisions on second reading and, after a board member requested additional protections be read into the record, took a separate vote to adopt policy 5.22 (Title IX nondiscrimination) and its accompanying forms.
On second reading the Owatonna Public School District board approved several policy revisions and handled one policy — 5.22 (Title IX nondiscrimination) — separately after a board member requested additional clarifying language.
Board member Elizabeth asked that policy 5.22 be pulled from the main slate and read a proposed statement for the record recommending additional language emphasizing the physical, mental and emotional safety of all students and avoiding more-than-de-minimis harm in decisions about participation in activities and facility use. Elizabeth read the proposed wording into the record: “When making decisions regarding student participation in a given activity or sport, considerations will be made for the physical, mental, and emotional safety of all students in effort to prevent subjecting any student to more than de minimis harm.”
Policy committee members and other board colleagues responded that the committee had followed MSBA-model language and state statute in drafting the policy and expressed concern that inserting the suggested wording could create legal exposure because of how "de minimis" could be interpreted in a legal context. After discussion the board amended the motion on the floor to remove the Title IX policy from the omnibus vote, approved the remaining policies, and then moved, seconded and approved policy 5.22 and its two attachments separately.
Why it matters: the exchange highlights the tension between board members seeking additional protections in district policy language and the committee’s effort to align policy with state law and MSBA guidance. The meeting record shows the board ultimately approved the slate and then approved policy 5.22 in a separate vote.
