Board reviews agency/law-enforcement request policy and schedules public-comment review; superintendent named to Illinois Board of Higher Education

At its Jan. 12 meeting the Round Lake CUSD 116 Board of Education received a first reading on revisions to Policy 701.50 (agency and law-enforcement request) and an update on administrative procedures. Mrs. Bennett said the policy rewrite clarifies procedures and explained the district will produce a "record of agency and law enforcement request" exhibit to document any future requests. She said the policy explicitly states the district will not request or collect information related to someone's immigration status.

Board members asked about how administrative procedures will be communicated to staff; Bennett said designated personnel lists and hard-copy exhibits will be posted in schools and offices and that a web page summarizing procedures and resources was created with Sarah LeBlanc's assistance.

On public comment, Board President Francisco flagged a future agenda discussion about whether electronic public comments should be read aloud. The superintendent said staff will collect comparative data from other districts and consult ISBE and legal counsel before returning recommendations; the board asked for counts and an analysis of the usefulness of electronic comments versus risks of anonymous trolling.

Separately, the board acknowledged that Dr. Don Mendoza was appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve on the Illinois Board of Higher Education, a 16-member state board; the president congratulated Mendoza on the appointment.

Next steps: administration will distribute the administrative procedures and post the designated-personnel exhibit; staff will gather data and legal guidance on electronic public-comment practice for discussion at a future meeting.