In order to protect the educational program of the schools from undue disturbance, each principal shall establish guidelines and procedures for visitors which shall include the following:
- Persons wishing to visit one or more schools are to make arrangement in advance through the school office of each school to be visited.
- Every visitor to a school must register at the school office. Sign-in lists showing name, time, person visiting, and time departing shall be maintained by the office. Any person who does not register with the school office is on school property without authorization and should be asked to identify himself/herself properly and obtain permission or to leave the school grounds. If the visitor refuses to leave the school grounds or creates any disturbance, the building principal should request aid from security.
- No visitor may see a student in school unless it is with the specific approval of the principal. If an emergency situation requires that a student be called to the office to meet with a visitor, a member of the administrative staff must be present during the conference. A student is never to be permitted to leave the school with anyone who is not clearly identified as his/her parent or an appropriately authorized person.
- Students may not bring guests to school unless permission to do so has been granted by the principal.
- Parents, other than those who have been asked by a teacher to be in the classroom, who wish to observe learning activities taking place in their child’s classroom are to confer, in advance, with the principal and the teacher and state the purpose of the visitation.It is important that each parent understands that because classroom visitations can be distractive to the students, the following guidelines have been established:
- Visitations will not be allowed during examinations and independent study periods.
- The number of visitors at any one (1) time should not exceed two (2) parents.
- Parents are to be silent observers and are not to create any type of disturbance or disruption to the learning process.
- Copies of instructional materials being used by the students or teacher may not always be immediately available during the visitation.
- Any comments made by individual students are to be maintained in confidence by the visitor to the activity.
- Use of audio or visual equipment to record classroom activities must be approved by the principal and the teacher. No visitor shall be allowed to videotape students in the classroom, without the prior consent of the principal, as it may violate the privacy rights of students unrelated to the visitor. Recording of other school activities to which the public is invited will be in accordance with AG 9160 – Attendance at Public Events.
- If the nature and instructional purpose of any activity calls for students to be segregated by gender for purposes of privacy, only visitors of the same gender may observe those groups in the privacy areas.
- Any comments or concerns are to be discussed with the teacher before or after the school day when students are not present.
- If a parent or other visitor wishes to tape record a conversation with a teacher or the principal, s/he should request permission from the teacher or principal although the person is not obligated to do so. If the teacher or principal wishes to record a conversation with a parent or other visitor, s/he is to inform that person that the conversation is being recorded before the conversation begins.
- Visitors are to be encouraged to meet with the principal and teacher during non-instructional hours to discuss the observation and to obtain answers to their questions. If a parent has a concern about what may be transpiring in his/her child’s classroom, s/he should follow the Board’s Policy 9130 which states that the parent is to address the matter first with the teacher and, if not rectified, to then meet with the principal.
- No staff member is to transact business with a visitor who
- Does not have a visitor’s pass.
- Has not duly registered at the school office and received authorization to be present for the purpose of conducting business.
If a disabled person should visit a school and request accommodation and s/he has not submitted the Request for Accommodation Form 9160A F1, in advance, the principal should ask the person to allow the school adequate time to arrange for the accommodation, providing such accommodation is reasonable (see AG 9160A).
Each principal shall post in a conspicuous place at each entrance, the guidelines and procedures to be followed by visitors.