860

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL

In the Appleton Area School District (AASD), we believe that all students can learn at high levels when we provide the highest quality instruction; maintain and communicate high expectations; create supportive learning environments that foster a sense of belonging; and develop and maintain strong community and home-school connections.

To support this mission, AASD infuses culturally responsive practices in our interactions with students, staff, parents, and community members. Culturally responsive practices include those practices that are free from discrimination and bias while being welcoming, inclusive and responsive to the diverse experiences and needs of our school community.

The Visitors to the School Policy (860) seeks to balance our ongoing efforts to provide a welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive school environment while maintaining the safety and protection of our students and staff. Achieving the desired balance will lead to increased family involvement, a better understanding of how the school district operates and the challenges facing the school district, and an increased sense of collaboration and cooperation between the community and the schools. The School Board has a legitimate interest in avoiding disruption to the educational process, protecting the safety and welfare of the students and staff, and protecting the District's facilities and equipment from misuse or vandalism. Therefore, all visitors are required to report to the school office upon entering the building or grounds.

A balance must be achieved between the potential benefits and risks associated with the presence of visitors in school buildings. Achieving the desired balance will lead to increased family involvement, a better understanding of how the school district operates and the challenges facing the school district, and an increased sense of collaboration and cooperation between the community and the schools.

Building administrators shall have the authority to determine which visits are to be permitted as well as the discretion to set any appropriate conditions on the nature and extent of such visits. In exercising their discretion, the administrators shall consider the purpose of the visit, the impact of the visitor’s presence, and the relationship of any visitor to the students.

State law makes it a crime for sex offenders to be on public school premises unless they have notified the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of the date, time and place of their visit to school premises, or they fall under one of the exceptions to providing such school administrator notification outlined in State law. “School premises” includes any school building, grounds, recreation area or athletic field or any other property owned, used or operated for school administration. It is the responsibility of the registered sex offender to provide the required school administrator notification. After receiving the required prior notification, the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent shall determine whether the registered sex offender will be allowed to be present on school premises for the proposed purpose or event and determine any conditions that may be placed on such permission for the safety of other persons present in the school environment. This policy extends beyond the notification requirement set forth by state law as may be necessary to help ensure the safety of students, staff, and others that may be present on school premises.

All visitors to the schools shall comply at all times with District policies and school rules. The building administrator may exclude any visitor from school premises if he/she fails to comply with District policies and school rules, is disruptive to the educational process, threatens the health and safety of students, staff and others at school, or damages school property. Law enforcement authorities may be called if necessary.

 

Legal References:
Wisconsin Statutes 118.07(4), 120.12(1), 120.13(35), 121.02(1)(i), and 301.475

Cross References:
Volunteers in Appleton Area School District, 353.1
Weapons on School Premises, 832
Visitors to the School, 860

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Adoption Date: October 22, 1990

Amended Dates: October 27, 2014 and June 25, 2018

 

 

860-Rule

VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL

Procedures

A. General Requirements for Visitors to School during the School Day

1. Persons wishing to visit the schools are strongly encouraged to make advance arrangements for their proposed visit with the appropriate teacher and/or building administrator.
2. All visitors shall report to the school office when either arriving or leaving the school during the school day. Notices shall be displayed in each building indicating that all visitors are required to register with the school office and to obtain authorization from the building administrator or his/her designee to remain in the school. All approved visitors shall be given a visitor’s pass and will be expected to have it prominently displayed while in the school or on school premises. The standard procedures for visitor reporting and/or registration during the school day may be modified or suspended in the following circumstance:
   • In connection with a school performance, assembly, or similar event that is open to members of the public where signage or other communications from the school indicate that the building administrator has permitted an exception for the event. Visitors attending an exempted event shall confine their visit to times and locations within the building that are appropriate for the event.
3. Visits may be prohibited for specific reasons, including, but not limited to:  when standardized testing or other student assessments are being conducted.
   • previous disruptive behavior.
   • court order.
   • other reasons that disrupt the school day.
4. All visitors must comply at all times with Board policies and school rules.
5. Any visitor with a disability, or a person assisting a visitor with a disability, who may need the District to provide an accommodation in connection with a visit to a school should address his/her situation in advance with the building administrator.

B. Special Requirements Related to Registered Sex Offenders Visiting the Schools

1. State law makes it a crime for any registered sex offender to be on any school premises associated with a public school unless they have notified the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of the specific date, time, and place of the visit and of their status as a registered sex offender.

It is the sex offender’s responsibility to provide this required notification every time they are planning to come on school premises, except under the circumstances described in paragraphs (1)(a) through (c) below. “School premises” includes any school building, grounds, recreation area or athletic field or any other property owned, used or operated for school administration. Once this school notification has been made, the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent may deny the visit or take such additional precautions as may be necessary to help ensure the safety of students, staff and others that may be present on school premises at the time of the visit.

1. A registered sex offender who is the parent of a child enrolled at the school may be excused from additional special school notification requirement when notifying the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent at the beginning of each academic school year that he/she is a registered sex offender and that he/she has a child enrolled at the school. The Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent will review these requests on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with law enforcement to determine the level of safety risk (e.g., court order, legal history, severity of incident). In all cases, such persons must receive permission from the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent to be excused from additional notification requirements imposed by the District that extend beyond those required by State law. If the child is not enrolled at the beginning of the school year, this notification must be made when the child is first enrolled. If the person is not subject to the registered sex offender reporting requirements at the beginning of the school year or when the child first enrolled, this notification must be made when the person first becomes subject to the sex offender reporting requirements.
2. A registered sex offender who is a student enrolled at the school may be excused from additional special school notification requirements if the department, agency or person supervising the student under a dispositional order has worked with school officials to help ensure the safety of the students attending the school with the student and receives such permission from the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent.
3. A registered sex offender who is on the school premises to vote is not subject to the above special school notification requirement if an election is being held that day and the person’s polling place is on the school premises.

2. In addition to providing the special school notifications outlined above, registered sex offenders visiting the schools must abide by the other requirements outlined in Board policy and this rule, as applicable, similar to other visitors to the schools during the school day. An individual’s status as a registered sex offender may preclude the person from being granted permission to be present on school premises (e.g., as a school volunteer).

C. Visitors to Classrooms or Other Instructional Areas

1. Access to particular classrooms or other instructional areas of the school may be restricted as deemed necessary by the building administrator.
2. Visitors in areas where students are present shall not take any pictures or make or transmit any recording unless the visitor has received advance permission from the teacher or building administrator.
3. Because classrooms and other instructional areas are the most vulnerable to disruption, specific guidelines may be communicated with visitors to ensure a productive learning environment for all students.
4. Visitors wishing to conference with teachers or administrators during the school day are encouraged to make arrangements in advance in order to accommodate the request.

D. Student Visitors

All requirements for visitors apply to students who are not enrolled in the Appleton Area School District or attending individual courses in schools in the District, with additional considerations to be applied at the discretion of the building administrator.

 

Legal References:
Wisconsin Statutes 118.07(4), 120.12(1), 120.13(35), 121.02(1)(i), and 301.475

Cross References:
Volunteers in Appleton Area School District, 353.1
Weapons on School Premises, 832
Visitors to the School, 860

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_{Adoption Date: October 22, 1990}

_{Amended Dates: October 27, 2014 and June 25, 2018}