Policy Review Committee forwards wide-ranging Stratford School District policy updates to Board

The Policy Review Committee of the Stratford School District voted unanimously Nov. 20 to send a package of updated policies to the Board of Education, including revisions to parent-involvement language, media-contact rules, online-course and transfer-of-credit policies, and field-trip procedures.

Committee Chair Bill O’Brien opened the meeting and confirmed a quorum: “I’m Bill O’Brien, chairman, and we do have a quorum.” Staff then walked the committee through marked edits in the 1,000-series policies and the committee discussed individual changes before voting on recommendations to the Board.

The committee approved replacing the word “guardian” with “legal custodian” across parent-involvement policies and expanding the parent portal’s description to include student forms and athletic paperwork. Staff said the change improves legal clarity and consistency with current practice. On media interactions, staff recommended removing a paragraph that had allowed reporters to contact students directly; as the presenter put it, “students should not be directly communicated to media,” and an attorney reviewed and agreed with the deletion.

Committee members also reviewed memorial/recognition rules, removing a 20‑year restriction on plaques and broadening permanent recognition options to include perpetual awards or scholarships. Members discussed whether oversight for plaque placement or permanent memorials should rest with a building principal, the superintendent or the central office; no binding change to that oversight language was recorded beyond the committee discussion.

In academic policy updates, the committee recommended policy 6172.6 on online courses to the Board with a favorable recommendation. Staff explained edits that remove an older teacher‑certification limitation and a maximum‑credit cap so that modern virtual providers (such as Apex) can be used for advancement and remediation. The committee likewise recommended policy 6172.61 on transfer of credit, removing a strict “accredited school” requirement to allow staff greater flexibility when evaluating foreign or nontraditional transcripts.

The committee also approved a revised field-trip policy (6153) that clarifies permission‑slip language, requires principals to coordinate payment‑plan or scholarship support with PTA/PTO/booster groups when trips are costly, and specifies that nonemployee chaperones will be processed by human resources through the district’s Raptor background‑check system. The policy limits certain large/overnight amusement‑park trips generally to grade levels at milestone years (committee discussion described eighth‑ and 12th‑grade class days) and preserves a four‑week advance approval window while allowing superintendent approval for exceptional shorter‑notice trips.

All motions to forward the reviewed policies to the Board of Education carried unanimously. The committee scheduled follow‑ups on volunteers, advertising/sponsorship and donations policy language and adjourned at 5:00 p.m.