Board members' school visits are great — when done right

There is nothing more enjoyable to a school board member than visiting schools. Watching talented teachers on their classroom stages as they engage students and bring subjects to life gives me goose bumps. Good teaching touches students' lives in such a way that students will remember their teachers' names for the rest of their lives. Watching these connections being made inspires all of us, and proper school visits pave the way for such inspiration.

However, it is not always the case that board members know how to visit schools in a way that is conducive to learning. There is a right and wrong way to visit schools, and our current policy does not require permission, only notice. Notice is an easy, quick e-mail or phone call to the superintendent's secretary to inform her of an approaching visit, and a heads-up to the principal.

In the best-case scenario, a board member will learn about a school environment and culture, and a school community will infer that the board member genuinely cares about the schools that he or she helps to provide resources for and govern. A board member, as a result of a positive visit, will take back a better and more pragmatic understanding of running a school and hopefully strategically apply this knowledge to board discussions and decisions.

Additionally, it is simply courteous to call ahead to let a principal know about a planned visit. The principal, who most frequently acts as a tour guide — keying us into classrooms (which are required to be kept locked for safety reasons while school is in session) — may have other previously scheduled appointments to keep that day, or may be off campus in professional development. Benchmark testing might be going on. If an advance call is not made, these hurdles might be overcome with minor juggling, but they are unnecessary and unproductive inconveniences.

On a more serious note, surprise school visits by board members can severely disrupt the learning environment when board members independently arrange to meet local media on a campus during school time in order to draw attention to a point (or worse, campaign). It also slows down progress when board members show up on a campus and give unauthorized instructions to principals on how to do their jobs (a single board member has zero individual authority).

This puts school leaders in an incredibly difficult position, forcing principals to weigh undue influence against possibly perceived job insecurity. While this may also be done during a scheduled visit to a school, it is much less likely to happen when policy is followed and the superintendent and the board are in the loop.

School board policy is the body of rules that govern the district and board members. It is usually written by school board members and must always be voted on and adopted by a majority of the board. Just as our country's laws are built on precedent, policy is sometimes imperfect and frequently revised for improvement but stands until such revision occurs. Board members who recognize the need for improvement in any particular policy have the power to submit it for changes to be voted on and approved by the policy committee and board.

Fortunately, we have a policy committee that has been consistently working hard this year to draft new school policies and improve others.

Policy is written to influence district-wide academic goals, ensure compliance with federal and state laws in schools, direct the administration on discretionary personnel issues, and approve the budget.

Policy also helps protect the schools and students against occasional poor judgment by individual board members. If we allow well-meaning board members to circumvent policy merely because they generally exercise good judgment, as suggested by The Post and Courier editorial on Sept. 16, then our policy becomes impossible to enforce when needed to control board members who exercise poor judgment.

We are here to support and guide the work of schools and students — not to police them, catch them in 'gotcha' moments, or exert any political power we may or may not have. Please understand that the purpose of the notice policy is intended to promote effective and respectful working relationships between school board members and school staff so that staff can stay focused on the core mission of teaching and learning with minimal interruption.

Mistakes are inevitable, but our goal should be to follow a reasonable and courteous visitation policy that keeps board members well-informed and connected to schools; serves as a good example for students; and empowers teachers and school leaders to succeed.