St. John the Baptist school board approves revised student-privacy, equal-opportunity and dismissal policies

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board approved a package of revised policies at its Aug. 22 meeting in Reserve, including an updated student privacy policy clarifying Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) procedures, a revised equal-opportunity employment policy, revisions to student dismissal procedures, and a new School Board Member Code of Conduct.

The board voted 10-0 (one member absent) to adopt the revised JR Student Privacy and Education Records policy after the board discussed disclosure rules for personally identifiable information and contractor access to student data. The policy explicitly references federal FERPA rules and Louisiana statutes and requires written parental/eligible student consent for disclosures except where the law authorizes release. It also affirms the district's use of unique student identification numbers and details when the superintendent may disclose PII without prior consent for audits, interagency reporting and required program monitoring. The policy notes AED training and other operational matters in the superintendent's report but does not change those operational actions.

Board members also approved a revised GAAA Equal Opportunity Employment policy that reiterates the district's nondiscrimination obligations across categories including race, sex, disability and hairstyles, and establishes complaint and investigation procedures. The motion passed with nine yeas and two recorded absences on that vote.

The JGFC Student Dismissal Precautions policy was amended and approved to tighten who may pick up students, require verification of identity, and limit early release without proper documentation. That motion passed 9-2 absent/votes as recorded in the minutes.

Separately, the board approved a new School Board Member Code of Conduct. Mrs. Schum asked that the final word of the draft be changed from "ethics" to "conduct" to match the title; the body accepted that change before voting. The code outlines expectations for board behavior, delegation to the superintendent, chain-of-command procedures, confidentiality in executive session and annual compliance affirmation by members.

Motions were introduced and seconded on the floor in accordance with board procedure; roll-call tallies were recorded in the minutes for each item. Several items were presented with public comment from Mr. Alvarez Hertzock before the board voted.

The policies will take effect according to the board's established procedures; the minutes do not list an alternate effective date for each policy, so implementation timing is "not specified" in the record.