Linn R-2 board members at their Oct. 19 agreed to examine their volunteer policy on requiring background checks for people attending classroom events and field trips at the next board meeting.

Superintendent Dena Smith said that board member Hannah Swann had asked for the volunteer procedures to be reviewed and then turned the subject over to her.

“I was just curious,” Swann said. “In the past, we have required parents that are attending field trips to have a background check or parents who are volunteering, but I don’t think that we’ve ever classified a parent who just attends a school party as a volunteer or required them to get a background check. So I was wanting to understand that.”

“That changed in early 2020, February-ish, right before COVID hit, so we had just started that process and put out letters to the public and whatnot and then COVID hit and we haven’t had to deal with it for the last year and a half,” Smith said. “But, that is something that changed in early 2020.”

Swann asked what changed and Smith replied it was the law.

“It was the law change and a policy change that anyone who is considered a volunteer in your building that’s going to be interacting with kids needs to have some kind of background check,” said Smith. 

“So how do you distinguish between who’s a visitor and who’s a volunteer?” Swann asked.

“Well, a visitor, I would say, would not be directly interacting with children,” said Smith.

“If I understand it,” said board member Dr. Shawn Strong. “If a mom or a dad comes in for a kids’ birthday party, they are now a visitor versus, call them whatever you want to, I guess. Do they have to have a background check to come in and volunteer for a party?”

“We actually don’t let them come in for birthday parties but if they’re coming in for a class party then yeah, they have to have a background check because they are interacting with the children in the room,” Smith replied.

“That seems super extreme to me,” said Dr. Strong. “So I’m curious about the discussions that occurred between the existing board when that was discussed.”

“When you read that there’s two different … the non-screened volunteers are not having to get fingerprint-checked, they’re just getting the $13 Highway Patrol record check but if you’re going to go on a field trip overnight or anywhere you’re actually supervising children then you have to go through with the fingerprint check,” board member Naomi Klouzek said.

“When you had that discussion, was the intent there if a parent comes in for a classroom party they were going to have to have a background check?” Dr. Strong asked.

“A lot of it was done because of the law,” said Swann.

“That’s not the way the law is written,” said Dr. Strong. “As far as I can tell, we’re selectively interpreting the law. Now you can prove me wrong, but it looked to me like if they’re being left unsupervised, the law doesn’t say they have to have a background. It’s up to us to make that decision.”

“I would say that policy was made based on us talking to our school attorney at the time,” Swann said. “If you’re asking where that came from, that’s probably where it came from.”

“The policy stemmed from Missouri Consultants, which we hired to interpret the law and provide board policy,” said board president Dennis Gravedoni of Missouri Consultants for Education (MCE).

Dr. Strong suggested that board members review the policy and discuss it again next month. 

“That portion of the law is between screened volunteers and non-screened volunteers,” Gravedoni said.

“But you’re defining what a volunteer is and I’m saying they’re not volunteers if they’re coming in for a party,” Dr. Strong returned.

“There is a policy 1425 for volunteers,” said board member Mark Baker. “Screened volunteers and non-screened volunteers and how to apply. The next policy is visitors to the school. Don’t get me wrong, I think if someone is going on a field trip with our kids if they’re doing anything that they would be by themselves with the kids, by all means, they need a background check. I see that the way this policy is written is that a volunteer is a recurring thing. A visitor, the way it is written to me, I see that a visitor would be someone who comes in one time, they are observing the class and they’re not going to be taking care of kids by themselves. I don’t see that we need to trouble someone for a background check to come in to watch their kids eat a snack or play a game. They’re going to be here 30 minutes, an hour. I know I’ve come into the classroom and read to students before and I would like to do it again. I think that’s very valuable, but I’m just a visitor. I think that’s a little cumbersome and at a time when our PTO is working so hard to get parental involvement, I don’t see that we need to subject everyone to a criminal background check. Do I think there are times like field trips where we need a criminal background check? Totally, but if they are coming into a classroom in front of the teacher, in front of other parents, I don’t see the need, and I don’t see that’s the way our policy is written.”

“Just food for thought, and we can bring it back up next month and I’ll get guidance from our attorney again, when this first came out back then, we had a parent who had just been convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute a controlled substance as well as manufacturing a controlled substance,” Smith said. “Felony charges; wasn’t put in prison, but had some substantial consequences. That parent didn’t think that would come back yet because it had just happened. He had to do a background check, it came back, we didn’t let him come to the class party. So that’s the kind of thing we’re trying to avoid. Even if they’re not left alone with students, and that’s what a non-screened volunteer says: is that they’re not left alone with students at school or school activities, we have no way of knowing what the background is of people who are coming in and interacting with our kids if we don’t have some type of background check. It’s very possible you could have a sex offender come in and we wouldn’t know it.

“If we don’t have a background check saying that they can be here we’re not necessarily going to know that they’re a registered sex offender,” Smith continued. “Can I look it up? Absolutely, but I would have to know first that I needed to look it up. I can’t look it up for every parent who wants to come in for a class party. That’s the kind of thing that a background check prevents, are those types of situations. I just think it’s something we need to really think about for our kids because I know there are people I wouldn’t want around my grandkids in their school.”

“I think it’s a good discussion to have,” Dr. Strong said. “Maybe we should think on it over a month. Are we creating a rule for an exception? You’re going to have bad people that do bad things and they are going to do bad things regardless. It’s going to be tough to stop some of that because, to be honest, if somebody is deadset on doing something bad, they’re either going to do it here or somewhere else.”

“I’d rather it not be here,” Smith said.

“I get that, but how many people could we potentially alienate by saying no you can’t come to school because ... something came up and their kids really excited about something, and said could you come in for grandparents day or whatever it is ... and we say no you got to have a background check,” Dr. Strong said. “It’s disappointing that we’ve come to this point where if you come to visit a school you have to have a background check for anything.”

“It’s disappointing you got to go through a metal scanner to go to a football game or whatever,” said board member Tye DeCramer. “It’s the same thing. It’s just the way the world goes.” 

“I’d like to think we’re better than that,” said Dr. Strong.

“I would like to think that too, but we have to look at the legal side of it too,” said DeCramer. “We don’t want to be liable. I’m not saying the policy is a hundred percent great or a hundred percent that I’m against it. I mean we have to have rules. I know people don’t like the rules, but we have to look out for what’s best for the school and the children in the school.”

“What I’d like to do is let’s give it a month and then say how did we interpret that law,” Dr. Strong said. “Did we interpret that law correctly last time or did we take it to the furthest extreme we could take it? If we’re interpreting the law in the way it’s supposed to be interpreted then let’s let it go, but if we come back and say hey we kind of took it to an extreme, let’s have a new discussion about it.”

“You’re wanting to get rid of the screening for the parties? Just for the parties?” DeCramer asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Strong said.

“But if they go on the field trip they need to have it,” DeCramer said.

“I know it’s not apples to apples, but me and my husband do a lot of scouting,” board member Lori Greer said. “It’s sort of a similar policy for background checks. I get it because we’re going to be with those kids on overnights, but we have parents that just show up and they don’t necessarily go through a background check unless they are going to be around the kids for over a certain length of time.”

A lady in the crowd asked where grandparents’ day falls into the discussion.

“Here’s the reality of it,” DeCramer said. “This policy came out, COVID hit, and we hadn’t had to worry about it. Everybody’s concern is the same I have. It’s something new we have to try to figure out and I agree with Shawn, maybe we should sit back and talk to our attorneys and see what they say about it.”

The lady said that there was a health fair held before school started and the parking lot was full of unscreened people with no background check.

REPORTS

In her report, Smith provided an update on the goals she has for the district.

Goal 1:  Prepare students for college and career readiness.

* The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) was administered to all sophomores on Sept. 23.

* The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) was administered on Oct. 13.

* College visits were set throughout the month of October, some of which were virtual.

* Multiple scholarship opportunities are currently available.

* Elementary staff has participated in three professional development sessions of Science of Reading training with Dr. Dunlap-Brown.

Goal 2:  Promote, facilitate and enhance parent, student, and community involvement in district educational programs.

* Parent/teacher conferences were held Monday, Oct. 25. 

* OC-ADCAT and area businesses sponsored Red Ribbon Week speaker Brandon White on Oct. 22.  

* The Linn Area Craft Fair was held at the school on Oct. 23.

* An FFA Labor Auction was held on Oct. 17.

Goal 3:  Recruit, attract, develop and retain highly qualified staff.

* Teachers participated in a Professional Development (PD) day on Oct. 11, during which teachers and administrators worked on curriculum and assessment. 

* The Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE) Conference was held Oct. 20-22 at Lodge of the Four Seasons. Board members Dennis Gravedoni and Baker attended, as did Smith. Baker participated in training for new board members.

* Melanie Brandt and Beth Plume are continuing to participate in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training to enhance their knowledge of teaching the components of reading for students in grades K-5.

* Elementary teachers are participating in Science of Reading training.

* Several teachers are taking advantage of the opportunity to attend outside PD events again as things have opened back up.

* Linn R-2’s ESSER-III compliance plan and budget have received final approval from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Goal 4: District facilities will adequately meet the needs of our students, district programs, and community.

* The district is still waiting for the report from the engineers on the elementary HVAC system recommendations.

* Linn’s recently purchased forklift is now on site.

In his report, High School Principal Jeff Jacques noted the Wildcats of the Month for October were Kiana Hostetler, Shane Greer, Paris Berry, Kristen Arlen, Lauren Rhoads, and Reid Baker.

* Seniors sponsored a campus clean-up day on Oct. 8.

* Enrollment in grades 7-12 was reported at 320 students.

* The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m.