A Wednesday night discussion about the wording of school policies resulted in a long discussion among  Hamilton Southeastern School Board members and required one person making a public comment to have his microphone muted when he refused to stop speaking once the 3-minute time limit expired.

The policy discussion centered on whether the school corporation should use an opt-in policy for surveys and some other school activities that are currently opt-out for parents.  Some board members seemed to favor requiring parents to opt-in to activities such as the Panorama survey of students, rather than the current system allowing parents to opt-out.

Some board members expressed concern that the opt-in would not allow enough participants in a process such as the Panorama survey because the participation would not be high enough to provide enough data.

Michelle Fullhart said many parents don’t respond either way to an opt-in or opt-out, meaning fewer families would end-up participating in an opt-in process.

The board considered the policy changes over access to instructional materials, consent for participation, curriculum and animals on school property.  You can find links to all the proposed changes and consolidation of polices at this link.  (Access Board Meeting October 13, view the agenda, and Information Item 6.03)

This was an information item on the agenda so no vote was taken.  It appears the policy changes will be considered again by the school district’s policy committee and considered by the board in a future session.