Trustees question fire‑drill and bomb‑threat language in proposed policies; staff agrees to revise

At the March 24 meeting trustees probed several draft safety and operations policies during first reading of the 3000‑series BP/ARs, singling out language about fire drills and bomb‑threat response.

Trustees questioned wording in a fire‑drill section that reads, in part, “all students, teachers, and other employees shall be directed to leave the building, which may include notifying staff as to the schedule for fire drills.” Several trustees said that phrasing — particularly the use of "may include" in several clauses — could be read to permit not performing named safety checks. A staff member responding to board questions clarified that principals are now required to hold the first fire drill within the first 10 days of the school year and that drills are required monthly: “We do surprise as well. We just notify staff,” the staff member said while explaining local practice and backup protocols.

Trustees also questioned a bomb‑threat procedure that instructs an employee who finds a written threat to rewrite it verbatim on another sheet. One trustee asked, “Why do they have to rewrite it?” and suggested that photographing the original would be safer and more reliable; staff agreed to consult law enforcement and reconsider the protocol.

Board action and next steps: Trustees did not adopt revised language at this meeting. Several policy items with outstanding questions were pulled for a second reading; trustees approved those items with no questions but asked staff to return with clarified fire‑drill and bomb‑threat language.

Provenance: Dialogue on fire drills and asset-management first reading (BP/AR 3512E and BP/AR 35161) appears SEG 718–826 and SEG 832–981; bomb‑threat discussion appears SEG 994–1067.

What to watch: Expect a staff memo with suggested edits and law‑enforcement input before the board considers these policy updates for final adoption.