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Radnor Township SD policy committee advances first reads on sanitation, lending and security policies; flags HR review for conduct rules
Summary
The policy committee reviewed several operational policies for first read — sanitary management (Policy 703), lending of equipment and books (Policy 708), and building security (Policy 709) — and asked administration to correct titles and consult Human Resources about conduct language before the full board review.
Vice Chair Janie Lau called the Radnor Township SD Policy Committee to order and the panel reviewed multiple operational policies scheduled for first readings.
Dr. Hand, representing district administration, said the district is updating older policies from 2008 and walked the committee through proposed changes to Policy 703 (Sanitary Management). Committee members noted a caption in the draft that referred to a ‘‘director of facilities’’ and requested the language be updated to reflect Mr. Morris's actual title in Buildings and Operations. Dr. Hand agreed to make that correction before the full board first read.
On Policy 708, which governs lending of equipment and books, members focused on clarifying the difference between equipment regularly assigned to staff and one-off loaned items. A committee member recommended removing outdated examples (typewriters, slide rules) to avoid confusion. Dr. Hand acknowledged the suggested edits and committed to updating the wording.
The committee discussed Policy 709 on building security and access devices. Members suggested minor editorial fixes (use "e.g." rather than "i.e.") and adding examples such as swipe cards to the definition of access devices. The draft replaces the term "employee" with "authorized user" to include independent contractors and nonemployee individuals who receive access credentials; committee members supported that change.
A cluster of related policies in the 300/400/500 series that incorporate the Code of Professional Practice and Conduct for Educators and address reporting obligations (including mandatory reporting to the Teacher Information Management System, TIMSS) generated the most debate. Several members asked whether the policy language should say conduct is regulated only "during work hours" or also "while on district property," and raised concerns about the district's authority to discipline off‑duty conduct that nonetheless has a "direct nexus" to job performance. Committee members agreed the paragraph labeled as the catchall for off‑duty conduct and nexus considerations covers many scenarios, but they asked administration to consult Human Resources and Mr. Stitzel (HR) before recommending substantive wording changes.
Dr. Hand said the updates reflect a statewide review recommended by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and noted the district would move to make cross references and legal citations clearer.
Rather than taking final votes, the committee agreed to forward each policy to the full board as a first read, with administrative follow‑up requested on titles and HR consultation. No formal policy adoptions occurred during the meeting.
The committee then adjourned the meeting.
