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Committee holds Parental Bill of Rights policy pending NHSBA guidance
Summary
The committee decided not to move a local parental‑rights policy forward and to wait for the New Hampshire School Board Association to issue guidance; members also discussed audio/video recording changes in the law that currently make instructional recordings opt‑in for parental permission.
The committee opted to pause action on a district policy that mirrors the New Hampshire Parental Bill of Rights, saying the district has already met the notice requirements by posting the bill on the SAU website and including it in handbooks and the annual report.
Chair Kara Meeker said the RSA requires posting the parental bill of rights but does not necessarily require crafting a local policy that reproduces RSA text. "We are in compliance with the RSA in terms of posting it in all the places that we have been required to do so," Meeker said, and recommended waiting for further guidance from the New Hampshire School Board Association before drafting additional policy language.
Committee members discussed the bill's provisions on audio and video recordings: as currently written the requirement is opt‑in for parent permission for audio or video recording by district employees as part of instructional activities; photos and non‑school entities are treated differently. Staff reported that legislative amendments were under consideration and that NHSBA guidance may clarify classroom practice. Student Travis Dunbar attended a deliberative session and spoke to the committee about instructional uses of recordings.
Decision: the committee will wait for the NHSBA’s additional guidance before drafting a separate local policy. The item will be revisited after staff receives and reviews the NHSBA recommendations.
