Board approves 1,000‑series practice statements on social media; separates records policy for committee review

The Elmbrook School District board approved the Teaching & Learning Committee’s proposed practice statements in the 1,000 policy series that govern district social‑media use and monitoring. The committee left a parental‑choice approach in place for student access to social media accounts and emphasized monitoring and prohibited‑use procedures.

During discussion, some trustees sought language reinstating a sentence restricting district promotion of social media to certain grades; that motion failed in a roll-call vote. Committee members and administration explained the practice statement’s monitoring rules and said the policy balances parental discretion with administrative oversight.

Separately, trustees identified a substantive rewrite in policy 13‑40 — language that alters the assignment of records‑custodian authority. Board member Sam Hughes and others pressed for legal clarification about whether board members retain ownership of records and how FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests will be handled for trustees. The board voted 4–3 to remove policy 13‑40 from the consent approval and send it back to committee for further review and legal input.

What’s next: The three approved practice statements were adopted; policy 13‑40 will return to the committee with a request that legal counsel clarify custodian language and board access procedures for records requests.