Forum

BOE role

Posted by Kelli Anne Jennings on August 26, 2020 at 10:58am

Is iit appropriate to have BOE Facebook page like a question and answer type of forum or do you just have/use your email to reach out to the community if they have questions. I know during this difficult time the BOE takes the blame mostly because the community does not realize our part or our job and what our role is. How do you reach and tell the community what the  BOE 's roles and responsibilities are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Replies

  • Rebecca Edsall October 26, 2020 at 4:04pm
    All questions should follow the chain of command in your district, so a Facebook page would undermine that by making whomever runs the page the face of the board and the district. That's a lot of responsibility (or liablilty!) on one person. Your district should have a communications plan, with social media being a component of that. The district can encourage the community to reach out to board members through the district clerk or by attending meetings. Keep in mind that your written communication in response to a question can (and eventually will) be used against you in a court of law. For that reason, Facebook is far too informal a medium for this. Does your district have a page they can feature the board on for informational purposes when warrented?
  • Robbin Griffin October 2, 2020 at 12:55pm
    We utilize a dedicated email that goes to the board clerk and each board member. We treat this the same as if a question is asked at a public board meeting. Questions are referred to the Superintendent for response. We are careful not to discuss questions away from the board table and this email provides a single clearinghouse for the board records, meeting record retention requirements.
  • Carol Popolow Abraham October 1, 2020 at 10:19am
    Kristin Sunser-King, I would love to hear more about how your board is using Parent Square to connect with stakeholders.
  • Marissa Mims September 15, 2020 at 7:50pm
    We use the Let's Talk program. If questions are for the Board then I respond. We did not have a Facebook page. It's too much to monitor. We explain the chain of command for responses. Teacher, principal, Superintendent, board or coach, athletic director, principal etc.
  • Steven Sabo September 14, 2020 at 9:26pm
    I would not recommend a board run Facebook page. I do participate in a page run by a group of parents in our district though. I basically do two things on it: post the all calls that go out to the district and provide links to our board of ed livestreams. I do not answer questions on the page. Instead I post my email address for them to email me them. This way I can forward the questions to the entire board and the superintendent (who usually answers the questions for us by reaching out the community member directly).

    You need to remember that there are two types of forums that a board can have online: a full public forum and a limited public forum. District Facebook pages are an example of a limited public forum. Most are used for one way communication and have a statement on them to reach out to the office of the superintendent with any comment, concerns, or questions. The full public forum is greatly discouraged. Having what you stated raises concerns for the open meetings law and could lead to allegations of censorship should you begin to choose which questions to answer and which ones to not answer.
  • Kelli Anne Jennings August 28, 2020 at 4:14pm
    Thank you for all your input. Taking it all in and I am learning to take the brunt with a smile and a calmness that everyone may need during this time.
  • Shawn M Corey August 28, 2020 at 4:06pm
    I would also agree with the responses listed. It can be frustrating to feel like you or your board are taking the "blame" for parent frustrations. Sometimes as board members, and especially as board officers, we need to take the brunt of the frustration with a smile and grow thicker skin. It's not fun, but is almost always necessary.
  • Michael Byrnes August 28, 2020 at 1:14pm
    Social media is a catch 22, you can reach a lot at one time but it’s usually only the same 10 who comment. I’ve mentioned at meetings what a Boards role truly is, I know some were listening but most only heard me. It’s weird when you have to remind other members what are role is, especially during these unprecedented times.
  • Andrea Randle August 28, 2020 at 11:35am
    I agree with the responses listed. Your school's website should have a BOE page or tab that community members can access and that should link somehow to your email addresses (and the emails should not be personal emails--they should be school email addresses).
  • Rob Curtis August 28, 2020 at 11:04am
    I would advise against that too. Our board has a BOE email address that we use for community to submit questions. We also have a BOE page on the website that provides Information about bird roles, etc.
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