Whistles from the football practice field and “back to school” lists in the local paper can only indicate the new school year is upon us. As two-a-days get underway and local grocery stores stock up on school supplies, there are a few things that administrators should consider. Here is an administrator’s “back to school” list:

·            Handbooks and Code of Conduct.

Make sure the staff and students are made aware of and become familiar with any changes that have been made to the Employee and Student Handbooks, and the Student Code of Conduct.

·            Travel Policies.

Policies and procedures related to student extra-curricular travel should be reviewed.

·            Internet Usage Policies.

Internet usage policies should be reviewed and updated if necessary to address email and social networking issues. Remember that any email produced on a school computer that mentions a student can be considered an educational record. Also, social networking sites continue to gain popularity not only among students, but staff as well. The best way to avoid problems down the road is to limit faculty electronic communications with students to those messages that are communicated for classroom or other professional reasons. This means that if school staff members use popular social networking sites, they probably should not indicate their association with the school district and should not communicate with students or permit students to communicate with them through the employee’s Facebook or other social network page.

·            Campus Internet Filters.

Local spam-guards and internet content filtering policies should be reviewed.

·            Cell Phone Policies.

Another school year means another year of technological advancements. As cell phone capabilities grow, so do the problems they cause. More and more students are bringing cell phones on campus. District cell phone policies should be reviewed and updated if necessary to address these problems. Remember that cell phones can be confiscated when used in violation of district policy. However, the cell phones themselves generally cannot be searched (this includes reading text messages or viewing pictures) without reasonable suspicion.

·            Budgets.

All budgetary work for the new fiscal year should be wrapped up.

·            Expectations and Goals

Administrators should define district expectations for the new year and begin setting annual district goals.

·            Emergency Plans.

Be sure emergency operations plans are up-to-date. The school staff should be familiar with the emergency plans and procedures. Consider distributing the plans to all administrators, teachers, even students, in order to keep everyone adequately informed of what to do during an emergency. Remember to consider situations such as what would happen if telephone communication were interrupted, or how to handle media attention that may follow a school emergency.

·            AEDs and Fire Extinguishers.

Be sure all AEDs and all fire extinguishers are adequately charged for the new year.

·            CPR and AED Certifications.

Be sure that all staff certifications for CPR and AED usage are up-to-date.

·            Ratings.

Remember to look over the state accountability rating report and the requirements associated with it, including sending a copy of the report or ratings to parents with the first report card.

·            Hazing, Bullying Policies.

Hazing and bullying policies should be reviewed. Know the differences between hazing, harassment, and assault, and the consequences that come with them. Also, remember that employment actions may need to be taken against employees who fail to report knowledge that a hazing event will or has occurred. Failure to report this information is a Class B misdemeanor.

The above “back to school” list is a general guideline for school administrators and does not constitute legal advice.  Consult with your school law attorney for more specific information regarding each of the topics listed above.

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