Policy committee forwards three student policies to full board, tables one

The Danbury School District policy committee voted to recommend three student-focused policies to the full board for first reading and tabled one item for additional review.

The committee voted to forward policy 5145.14 (on-campus recruitment) after Kelly, district staff, said CAVE’s audit recommended no substantive changes to the district’s existing language. Juanita moved to forward the policy for a first reading; Gladys seconded, and the motion carried by voice vote.

The committee also approved forwarding policy 5145.511 (abuse prevention and education programs) to the full board for first reading. Kelly walked members through alternate and existing definitions of assault and recommended keeping the more detailed existing language for clarity; committee members instead favored language aligning with state statutory training requirements and agreed to adopt the more specific, statutory-aligned phrasing. Juanita moved the recommendation; Gladys seconded and the motion passed by voice vote.

Policy 5144.1 (physical restraint, seclusion, exclusionary time out) was reviewed in detail. Kelly emphasized that restraint and seclusion are emergency interventions used rarely to maintain safety, and that reporting requirements include notifying parents and filing required state forms. The committee voted to forward 5144.1 to the full board for first reading (motion by Gladys; second by Sharon), and retained the existing emergency-focused language rather than adopting the alternate wording.

By contrast, the committee decided to table policy 5144.2 (use of exclusionary time out). Members debated whether language should read "may" versus "shall," whether a time-out setting must be part of a behavior-management plan and whether phrasing about removing students from "potentially dangerous or anticipated situations" was appropriate. Juanita moved to table 5144.2 until the next policy meeting; Cliff seconded and the motion carried.

Votes at a glance:
- 5145.14 on-campus recruitment — recommended for first reading (mover: Juanita; seconder: Gladys; outcome: passed by voice vote).
- 5145.511 abuse prevention and education — recommended for first reading (mover: Juanita; seconder: Gladys; outcome: passed by voice vote).
- 5144.1 physical restraint and seclusion — recommended for first reading (mover: Gladys; seconder: Sharon; outcome: passed by voice vote).
- 5144.2 exclusionary time out — tabled until next meeting (mover: Juanita; seconder: Cliff; outcome: tabled).

The committee also agreed to minor edits to clarify responsible staff titles (adding "or designee" where appropriate) and noted statutory training obligations would guide final language.