Jefferson County, Kentucky Board of Education

September 2012

Policies Principals Should Know

Policy Manual

Available on JCPS website

General Counsel webpage Board of Education webpage

Policy Manual also provided to each School Principal and Cost Center Head

Policies Under Review

JCBE Policies are in the process of review and revision with the assistance of administration, the Kentucky School Boards Association, the JCBE Policy Development Committee and the Board of Education

New numbering system Easily searchable online

I. Student Records

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

20 USC Section 1232 g 34 CFR part 99 Kentucky Family Education Rights

and Privacy Act KRS 160.700 et seq.

Student Records Policy

Defines student records When records may be disclosed Surveys Handling records from Juvenile Court Flagging the records of a missing

child Handling court orders/subpoenas

Directory Information (DI)

DI: name, address, grade level, honors and awards, photos, and major field of study

NEW! DI now includes student photos Not videos Parent/guardian/eligible student may opt-

out Opt-out form is contained in Code of

Conduct Photo/Video Release Form

II. School Visitors and Volunteers

Kentucky law: KRS 161.148 KRS 160.380 (6)

School Visitors and Volunteers Policy

Defines Volunteers:

Volunteers are defined as adults who assist teachers, administrators, or other staff in public school classrooms, schools, or school district programs, and who do not receive compensation for their work.

Criminal Records Checks on Volunteers

At District expense —Shall be performed on all volunteers who have:

Contact with students on a regularly scheduled and/or continuing basis

or Supervisory responsibility for children at

a school site or on school-sponsored trip.

Criminal Records

Persons convicted of or pleading guilty to:

sexual offenses Drug offenses Any felony offense

Shall not be utilized as volunteers.

III. Political Activity Prohibited

KRS 161.164 No employee of the local school

district shall take part in the management or activities of any political campaign for school board.

No candidate for school board shall solicit or accept any political assessment, subscription, contribution, or service of any employee of the school district

Penalties

KRS 161.990: Any person who violates any

provisions of KRS 161.164 shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

School board candidate disqualified from holding office.

Any employee who willfully violates KRS 161.164 shall be ineligible for employment in the schools for five years.

KRS 161.164

State Board for Elementary and Secondary Education v. Howard, 834 SW2d 657 (Ky. 1992)

“Activities” struck from KRS 161.164(1) in 1992

Kentucky Attorney General issued opinion OAG 92-145 listing permitted and prohibited conduct

Staff Participation in Political Activities

Employees of the Jefferson County Public School District shall not engage in political activities on JCPS property during school/office hours.

School equipment may not be used for political purposes by employees.

IV. Professional Code of Ethics for Kentucky Certified School Personnel

KRS 161.026 requires EPSB to develop a professional code of ethics

State regulation: 16 KAR 1:020 Violation of the Code may be

grounds for revocation or suspension of Kentucky teacher/administrator certification by EPSB

Violation could result in disciplinary action

Superintendent Duty to Report to EPSB

EPSB Enforces the Code

Confidentiality of student information--Examples of Violations from EPSB: Release of Student Information in

emails Allowing class to be recorded and

posted on the web Social Networking—pictures or

names of students