Policy committee approves staff‑communication policy, updates purchasing language and forwards security/drone rules; transportation questionnaire noted

The Waunakee Community School District policy committee took several administrative actions and sent multiple policies to the full board for consideration.

Staff communication policy: The committee approved a standalone staff‑communication policy (policy 528.1) that incorporates provisions from Wisconsin Act 88 and extends previous acceptable‑use language to apply to staff and volunteers in all communications with students. Brian Kavarski (district staff member) described the statutory basis and said the policy expands the district's acceptable‑use guidance to include non‑electronic communication, provides examples of permissible and impermissible conduct, and outlines employment‑related consequences for violations. Brian said the policy also responds to statute 118.07, which requires districts to adopt a communication policy covering staff and volunteers.

The committee emphasized onboarding and training for staff and volunteers. Brian said the district plans to adopt ParentSquare as the district‑wide communications platform in part because it supports records retention required by law. He also clarified that personal family communications (for example, parents messaging their own children) are not intended to be restricted by the policy.

Purchasing approvals: The committee approved a change to the purchasing policy to add a bidding schedule for major contracted services. Members raised concern about ambiguous wording in the draft phrase "no more than every five years," which could be read to prohibit more frequent bidding; the committee agreed to change the language to make clear the district may bid at least once every five years or sooner if needed.

Security cameras and drone policy: The committee reviewed a security‑camera policy (sample language from WASB) that includes a new school‑bus section. The committee also discussed a proposed drone‑use rule that would allow supervised use by students (the presenter recommended a minimum operator age of 13 for supervised student use), name responsible district administrators for authorizations, and prohibit drones operated over district grounds by outside parties without approval. Members asked staff to develop clearer local protocols for principals and staff to follow if an unapproved drone appears over school property. The committee voted to forward the security‑camera and drone policies to the full board.

Transportation questionnaire: The committee reviewed a questionnaire distributed to 9th and 10th graders who live between 1 and 1.75 miles from school; early responses indicated many students would like district‑provided transportation and some indicated willingness to pay. Committee members said the survey results provide background and could inform policy discussions later in the year.

Votes at a glance: - Grading‑policy revision: forwarded to full board (motion approved by voice vote; no dissent recorded). (See separate article.) - Staff communication policy (policy 528.1, Act 88 additions): approved by voice vote; staff to develop onboarding/training. - Purchasing‑policy wording change (bidding schedule): approved with clarified wording to allow bidding at least once every five years or sooner. - Security‑camera and drone policies: forwarded to full board for consideration. - Transportation questionnaire: informational; no policy change adopted at this meeting.

What’s next: Staff will draft onboarding and training materials for the staff‑communication policy, refine language for the purchasing schedule as directed, and prepare protocols and implementation details requested by the committee before full‑board consideration.