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Committee debates policy language on law-enforcement and DSS interviews of students
Summary
The policy committee reviewed proposed edits to clarify when law enforcement and Department of Social Services may interview students at school; staff said administrators are not required to notify parents where notification would create a safety risk and should document attempts to be present during interviews.
The Dorchester 02 policy committee reviewed proposed changes to its KLG policy clarifying school interactions with law enforcement and Department of Social Services (DSS) investigators.
Speaker 3 said the district proposes explicit language to make KLG applicable to both law enforcement and DSS interviews, citing state statute 63-7-920(c) (as discussed in the meeting) that recognizes agencies’ authority to interview students at school. The draft would remove a prior requirement that administrators notify parents before an interview in all instances; staff explained administrators should not notify parents when doing so would place the child at safety risk (for example where allegations involve the home). Speaker 3 said administrators should attempt to be present at interviews and document when an agency denies that request.
Board members discussed balancing parental notification with student safety. Speaker 11 (law enforcement representative) said investigators generally encourage parental notification unless doing so would jeopardize an investigation or the student’s safety. The committee asked staff to present a model-policy version versus a district-recommendation version to clarify the language under consideration.
Next steps: staff will refine language, cross-check it against statute and present a version that separates model-policy text from district recommendations for clearer review.
