The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday night to bring the district into compliance with a new state law regulating communication from school personnel to students.
House Bill 3958 requires school personnel engaging in electronic or digital communication with an individual student to include the student's parents or guardians, unless the communication is via a school-approved platform and related to school and academic communications. The law, authored by state Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, and state Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, took effect July 1 .
Pugh has said schools “can utilize approved methods of communication that will allow teachers, students, and parents to continue discussing academics, school activities, and other pertinent information provided by school districts.”
The goal of the law, Conley said, is to limit “inappropriate communication” between school officials and students that might lead to physical abuse. Gov. Kevin Stitt held a ceremonial signing ceremony for the law last Tuesday that included a handful of people who have said they are victims and survivors of sexual abuse by school employees.
While some districts have reacted to the law by drastically cutting the number of communication methods allowed for use by school personnel, the Oklahoma City district’s administration recommended its board allow for the use of more than 10 communication methods that have become popular with districts and parents in recent years, such as Google Workspace (including Gmail and Google Classroom), Infinite Campus, Canvas, Remind, Hudl, RankOne, GroupMe, Talking Points, ClassDojo, Clever and Seesaw.
In a move also made necessary by the new law, the board voted to make revisions to the district’s social media guidelines for employees. It’s standard procedure for such revisions to receive a first reading in the meeting before which they would be voted upon, but the board waived that requirement at the district administration’s request “due to mandatory legislative changes that necessitate timely implementation,” according to the meeting agenda.
Board Chair Paula Lewis also noted the legal reasons for the district to move quickly and not wait another month to make the changes.
Additions to the policy included the following paragraph: “’Electronic or digital communication’ includes, but is not limited to, emails, text messages, instant messages, direct messages, social media messages, messages sent through software applications, and any other electronic or digital means of communication.”
The new policy said, “(s)chool employees shall make reasonable efforts to use school-approved platforms, systems, or applications that allow automatic inclusion of parents or guardians in communications with students. … School employees reported to have engaged in electronic or digital communications that would violate this policy and state law shall be placed on administrative leave while the school district investigates the incident.
“If the investigation finds that no misconduct occurred, the school employee shall be reinstated, and the incident noted in the personnel file. Employees who engage in any of the above-referenced prohibited behaviors are subject to the possibility of penalties, up to and including termination of employment. Incidents will be reported in compliance with district policy and state law.”
Without comment, the board voted 8-0 on a series of four items making the necessary changes.
In other business, the board also heard a proposal from the district’s chief operations officer, Scott Randall, that a new district football stadium to be built at John Marshall Enterprise High School be named “McLaughlin Family Stadium.” The name is to honor Tim McLaughlin, a local businessman who founded Fields and Futures , a nonprofit that has aggressively worked to update the Oklahoma City district’s athletic facilities.
The new stadium will be the home of the John Marshall Bears and the Belle Isle Bulls. The board will vote on making that name permanent during a meeting in August.
"The McLaughlin family's unwavering support and dedication through Fields and Futures has been transformative for our district," district Superintendent Jamie Polk said in a statement. "Naming the North Regional Stadium after them is a testament to their enduring impact on our students and community. This new facility will stand as a beacon of their legacy and commitment to education and athletics."
The board also heard informational presentations on other projects included as part of a $955 million bond approved by voters in November 2022 . Those projects will take place at John Marshall Enterprise High School, Webster Middle School, Douglass High School and the new Belle Isle Enterprise High School.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKCPS board votes in policy to comply with Oklahoma's new inappropriate communication law
Most Popular
Comments / 0