Policy committee forwards staff-conduct policy to full board after edits

The Portland Public Schools policy committee voted unanimously April 13 to send an updated staff-conduct policy (GBE) to the full board after revisions prompted by union and legal feedback.

Dr. Sarah Warren, the district’s chief of strategy and operations, said the draft began with a Drummond Woodsome model and was revised by the committee and board members to better fit district needs. She described one proposed addition as wording to limit disclosures to "matters of a significant personal nature" to make clearer what personal information staff should not disclose to students.

Warren said the committee had engaged "our union partners and our legal counsel" during revisions and that the latest draft aims to be responsive to that feedback. Committee members asked for clarity about a provision asking staff to discuss with supervisors before inviting students to a staff member’s home; attorneys explained this was to address occasional situations such as coaches hosting end‑of‑season celebrations.

After brief discussion, a committee member moved to forward policy GBE to the full board; the motion received a second and passed by roll call. The transcript records roll‑call votes as yes from "Ali Ali," "Yurra Ali," "Vice Chair McKibbondo," and the chair, resulting in a unanimous committee recommendation to send the policy to the board.

The committee did not adopt additional substantive changes at the meeting; staff and board members thanked those who contributed to the revisions. The full board will receive the policy for consideration at a subsequent meeting.