Spotsylvania School Board Approves Slew of Policy Revisions at Special Meeting

Also after a closed session, Board approves separation agreement with "Employee A."

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT

The Spotsylvania School Board at a special meeting on Thursday approved revisions to eleven policies and regulations concerning Board member policy compliance, policy adoption, agenda format, Board-Staff communications, and media relations.

The Board also held a closed session to discuss personnel matters and to “consult with legal counsel … regarding specific legal matters,” according to the agenda.

Following the closed session, the board approved by a vote of 5-to-0 (members April Gillespie and Lisa Phelps were absent) a separation agreement with “Employee A.”

Chair Lorita Daniels told the Advance on Friday that the agreement is confidential.

She said, “The Board continues to address issues under the division’s leadership. We are moving forward so that we can be in a stronger position as we think about the division as a whole and ultimately the children and school personnel.”

Among the policies revised Thursday is policy BFC, which concerns policy adoption. It reinstates the practice—which had been eliminated by the previous Board—of holding two readings of new policies and policy revisions before they are adopted.

The first reading is to occur when the policy is introduced and the second at the next scheduled meeting.

The Board approved revisions to the format of agendas for regular business meetings—placing closed sessions at the beginning, after approval and adoption of the agenda, and before any recognitions and awards.

Recognitions and awards will have a set start time of 7 p.m. and if the Board isn’t able to finish the closed session business by that time, it will return to closed session at the end of the meeting.

The Board approved significant revisions to policy BBC, which outlines the process for addressing violations of the School Board’s policies and Code of Ethics.

Vice Chair and Battlefield District representative Nicole Cole said the revisions are meant to “put some teeth—not sharp teeth, but some teeth—to us being able to police ourselves for the benefit of the school division, so we can have more time actually handling the business of the school division.”

The revisions state that when there are allegations of policy infraction by one School Board member against another, the “allegedly harmed” member can ask for a third-party investigation. Findings and suggested remedies from that investigation will come to the School Board.

A complaining Board member may also seek discussion in an open session with the full Board.

If there are repeated serious infractions, the Board may take a number of possible actions in an open meeting, including issuing a written public reprimand; removing the member from committee assignments for the remainder of the calendar year; or voting to limit the Board member’s comments to two minutes.

The revisions to this policy passed by a vote of 4-to-1, with Chancellor District Belen Rodas voting against.

Rodas said she is uncomfortable with the idea of limiting an elected Board member’s right to speak.

“I understand the impulse, the frustration—I just don’t support a member elected by community not being able to speak,” Rodas said.

Policy KBD, which governs media relations, was another policy over which the Board was divided.

The policy states that media inquiries are to be addressed to the Office of Communications and Community Engagement, and that “staff members are required to advise their supervisor and the division’s Office of Communications and Community Engagement prior to participating in any interviews.”

Rodas and Courtland representative Carol Medawar said they’d like more clarity about whether employees need to seek permission to speak to media or simply advise their supervisors of their intent to speak to media.

“I think we’re coming out of an unusual climate and that’s my concern with staff not being able to speak as they want,” Rodas said.

Revisions to policy KBD passed by a vote of 3-to-2.

It’s not clear if the policies approved Thursday will come back for a second reading in March, as per policy BFC.

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