Motion to adopt student safety statement fails amid procedural and legal concerns
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Summary
A board member proposed a written statement summarizing actions on student safety and requesting semiannual reporting; after debate about wording and whether the board should issue directives versus statements, an amended motion failed 4–3 (with one abstention counted as a no).
A board member presented a written document intended to reaffirm expectations and summarize district actions related to student safety and discipline following public complaints. The item arose from an earlier request to track incidents; the board member sought an action that would include semiannual reporting to the board and a public reaffirmation of existing policies.
Superintendent Marty advised caution about issuing directives to individual employees in a public forum and recommended language framed as a statement of actions taken. Board members debated whether the item should be treated as a first reading or approved that night; some argued the community needed action without delay, others asked for more time to allow new board members to review the text in a work session.
After amending the language to replace the word "directive" with "statement," the motion to approve the item failed on roll call 4–3 (one member abstained and it counted as a no). Board members who opposed or abstained cited concerns about legal exposure, the difference between policy and a statement, and a desire to preserve administrative discretion.