VISITORS TO SCHOOL
The Board encourages parents and other district citizens to visit the school and classrooms at any time to observe the work of students, teachers and other employees. All visitors, which includes persons other than employees or students, must notify the principal or principal designee of their presence in the facility upon arrival and request authorization to visit elsewhere in the building.
Visitors shall conduct themselves with mutual respect and consideration for the rights of others while attending school events. Visitors failing to conduct themselves accordingly may be asked to leave the premises. The board and administration will not tolerate any person or persons whose presence disturbs classes or school activities or hinders the instructional process. Children who wish to visit school must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.
It shall be the responsibility of employees to report inappropriate conduct. It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent and principals to take the action necessary to cease the inappropriate conduct. If the superintendent or principals are not available, a school district employee shall act to cease the inappropriate conduct.
The Board discourages using the school as a site for parents without custody to visit their children. The principal may deny the parent without custody the opportunity to deliver packages, gifts, messages, etc., to the child and/or to see the child during the school day without the approval of the custodial parent or legal guardian. In this paragraph, "without custody" means the parent lacks joint legal custody under Nebraska law.
The district may restrict the use of its buildings and grounds or restrict access to school property by issuing no trespassing commands and/or stay away/no trespassing letters when deemed necessary by the superintendent when any individual or group:
is determined to present a risk to the safety of others,
presents a disruption to the learning environment,
fails to follow proper check-in and identification procedures, or
does not have a legitimate purpose to be present on school grounds or activities.
In the event a person prohibited by this or other board policies is on district property or is attending a district-sponsored event, the superintendent or building prinicpal will tell the person he or she must leave and will notify the person they are not permitted back on district property, except if their presence is required by the district. The superintendent or building principal may contact the proper legal authorities if necessary to enforce this policy and may file a report or sign a complaint on behalf of the district.
Denying Access to School Premises or Activities
Restrictions on the use of school buildings and grounds may be implemented by administrative action. The Board gives all district and building administrators and their designees authority to implement and enforce restrictions on access to school property and to issue no trespassing commands and stay away/no trespassing letters. Such action shall be taken consistent with constitutional and other legal rights.
All district and building administrators and their designees shall have full power and authority to direct any individual or group to leave school grounds and stay away where such individual or group:
has failed to comply with identification or check-in procedures;
has been determined by such administrators or designees to not have a legitimate school purpose to be on school grounds;
has disrupted the educational environment;
has been unreasonably boisterous;
has caused or attempted to cause damage to school property or to the property of any student or school employee;
has caused or attempted to cause personal injury to any student, school employee, or other person on school grounds or at an activity on or off school grounds;
has used vulgar, profane, or demeaning language;
has used fighting words; or
been determined by such administrators or designees to present a risk to the safety of building users or a risk of disruption to the educational program, including without limitation, registered sex offenders persons who have been convicted of serious crimes of violence, or persons who have been convicted of the unlawful sale of drugs (particularly if the sale was to students or other minors).
A directive to stay off school grounds may, in the discretion of the administrator giving the directive, be of either determinate or indeterminate length. The administrator shall have the authority to fix the time when, and the conditions under which, the offending person may return to school premises. A refusal to leave or stay away as directed will be considered trespassing and shall be reported by the administrators or their designees to proper law enforcement authorities.
Registered Sex Offenders
The State of Nebraska has determined that perpetrators of certain sex crimes pose a continuing threat to society as a whole even after completion of their criminal sentences. Recognizing that the safety and welfare of students is of paramount importance, the Banner County Board of Education hereby declares that, except in limited circumstances, the premises of Banner County Public Schools will be off limits to registered sex offenders.
Rights of Parents on the Sex Offender Registry
Definition: For purposes of this policy the term "parent" means a parent, guardian, or person who stands in loco parentis to a student enrolled at Banner County Public Schools.
In the event that a registered sex offender is the parent of a child attending the Banner County Public Schools, an administrator shall be authorized to modify this policy’s restrictions to permit the parent to drop off and pick up the child from school and to come onto campus to attend parent-teacher conferences, IEP conferences, and student related activities that may include but are not limited to sporting events, concerts, etc. However, such a sex offender may not linger on or about school property and may be required to be escorted by an administrator.
This policy does not impose a duty upon any school administrator or any other employee of the Banner County Public Schools to review the sex offender registry and the school system’s directory information to ascertain whether a registered sex offender may have a child in the Banner County school system. The provisions of this policy shall apply only if an administrator actually becomes aware that a parent of a student is a registered sex offender.
To facilitate voluntary compliance with this policy, school administrators are encouraged to speak with any affected parents upon learning of their status as sex offenders to communicate the restrictions of this policy. At all times, the administrator shall endeavor to protect the privacy of the offender’s child.
Legal Reference:
Neb. Statute 79-8,100
Neb. Statute 28-520 to 522
Cross Reference:
1004 Press, Radio and Television News Media
