Medford School Board debate about school visitation policy

MEDFORD, Ore.- Medford School Board members debate over specific wording about school visit in the Board Operating Agreement (BOA).

During Thursday night’s meeting, the Medford School Board reviewed the updated BOA with revisions suggested during the Board Retreat.

But School Board Member Michael Williams found issue in the agreement’s lines on school visits, specifically that a principal could refuse a board member’s visit and that board members need to give a 48-hour notice.

He says informal visits by board members should not be intimidating and a recent situation at a school made him feel unwelcome.

“I returned back to the Administrator’s Office. I was told that I was making people on campus uncomfortable, that children were saying ‘who is this strange man walking around campus’. I also went through all of the necessary steps with respect to the building administration and all that person had to do was tell the people, the campus monitors, who I was,” Williams said.

Superintendent Bret Champion told Williams he was sorry that he experienced that.

Champion says regardless, board members visiting a school will intimidate school staff, whether Williams likes it or not.

Champion says giving principals a head-up and a way to reschedule is just a thing of respect.

“This intimidation factor, I appreciate that you don’t think it should exist. It’s just a fact. To your words about wanting to have a culture of hopefulness, openness, transparency, and grace, I totally agree with that, and I think one of the ways we show that is to give the principals the respect to say, ‘this is really not a great time’,” Champion said.

The board altered the BOA to say board members will coordinate with the Board Secretary 48 hours in advance and provide the amount of time expected for the visit as well as the purpose.

The Board Secretary will then notify the principal 24 hours prior to the school visit.

Should the principal indicate the need for a different day or time, the board will respect that decision.

The revised BOA was adopted by the board.

Williams says he just doesn’t want to be held back from making more personal connections.

“There are people in this community that I look to like family. Those relationships were cultivated from having the ability to go into schools and build those relationships,” Williams said.