Oak Hill schools will be closed March 27 - April 1
Classes resume Tuesday, April 2

Video Surveillance and Electronic Monitoring

7440.01 - VIDEO SURVEILLANCE AND ELECTRONIC MONITORING

The Board of Education authorizes the use of video surveillance and electronic monitoring equipment at various school sites throughout the District and on school buses. The video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment shall be used to protect Board property and assets from theft and vandalism, through deterrence and video documentation. The system is not designed nor intended to protect individuals from being victims of violent or property crimes, nor to detect other potentially illegal and undesirable activities that may occur, although information may be used as evidence in such cases.

The monitoring of actions and behavior of individuals who come onto school property is a significant factor in maintaining order and discipline and protecting students, staff, visitors, and school and student property. Video surveillance/electronic monitoring systems serve to complement other means being employed in the District to promote and foster a safe and secure teaching and learning environment for students and staff. The Board recognizes that the use of a video surveillance/electronic monitoring system does not replace the need for the ongoing vigilance of the school staff assigned by the building principal to monitor and supervise the school building. Rather, the video surveillance/electronic monitoring system serves as an appropriate and useful tool with which to augment or support the in-person supervision provided by staff. The building principal is responsible for verifying that due diligence is observed in maintaining general campus security.

The Superintendent is responsible for determining where to install and operate fixed-location video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment in the District. The determination of where and when to use video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment will be made in a nondiscriminatory manner. Video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment may be placed in common areas in school buildings (e.g., school hallways, entryways, the front office where students, employees and visitors are permitted to freely come and go, gymnasiums, cafeterias, libraries), the school parking lots and other outside areas, and in school buses. Except in extraordinary circumstances and with the written authorization of the Superintendent, video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment shall not be used in areas where persons have a reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g., restrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, private offices (unless there is express consent given by the office occupant), or conference/meeting rooms), or in individual classrooms during instructional times. Security staff and administrators are authorized to carry and use portable video cameras when responding to incidents. The Board authorizes security personnel to use body-worn video cameras while on duty, but prohibits them from being operated while the individual is routinely patrolling restrooms and locker rooms, unless the staff member is responding to a specific incident.

Any person who takes action to block, move, or alter the location and/or viewing angle of a video camera shall be subject to disciplinary action.

Legible and visible signs shall be placed at the main entrance to buildings and in the areas where video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment is in use to notify people that their actions/behavior are being monitored/recorded. Additionally, the Superintendent is directed to annually notify parents and students via school newsletters and the Student Handbook, and staff via the Staff Handbook, of the use of video surveillance/electronic monitoring systems in their schools.

Any information obtained from video surveillance/electronic monitoring systems may only be used to support the orderly operation of the School District's schools and facilities, and for law enforcement purposes, and not for any other purposes. As such, recordings obtained through the use of video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment may be used as evidence in any disciplinary proceedings, administrative proceeding or criminal proceeding, subject to Board policy and regulations. Further, such recordings may become a part of a student's education record or staff member's personnel file.

Ordinarily video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment will not be used to make an audio recording of conversation occurring on school grounds or property.

The Board will not use video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment to obtain information for the purpose of routine staff appraisal/evaluation or monitoring.

Recordings of students will be treated as confidential. Consequently, because the Board is bound by Ohio's Student Records Statute and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), copies of video recordings containing personal identifiable information about students shall not be released except to school officials with legitimate educational interests. Parents or guardians of minor students, and students who are eighteen (18) years of age or older, who are charged with disciplinary violations may view relevant portions of any video recording related to the charge, upon written request to the building principal, provided that viewing the recording does not violate State and/or Federal law (i.e., the privacy rights of any other students whose images appear on the recording). Likewise, school personnel may view relevant portions of any video relating to any disciplinary charge against them, upon written request to the building principal, provided that viewing the recording does not violate State and/or Federal law (i.e., the privacy rights of any students whose images appear on the recordings). Otherwise, such confidential recordings shall only be released through subpoena or court order.

The Board shall maintain video surveillance/electronic monitoring recordings for a limited period. Any request to view a recording under this policy must be made within seven (7) days of the event/incident. Unless a formal complaint is being investigated, recordings shall be destroyed after thirty (30) days. If, however, action is taken by the Board/administration, as a result of a formal complaint or incident, recordings shall be kept for a minimum of one (1) year from the date of the action taken. Recordings may also be kept beyond the normal retention period if they are going to be utilized for training purposes.

This policy does not address or cover instances where school officials record a specific event (e.g., a play, music performance, athletic contest, graduation, or Board meeting), or an isolated instance where a classroom is videotaped for educational or research purposes. Authorized videotaping for educational, instructional and/or research purposes is permitted and is not addressed by this policy.

The Superintendent is directed to develop administrative guidelines to address the use of video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment in school buildings, school buses and on property owned and/or operated by the Board.

Video surveillance is to be implemented in accordance with this policy and the related guidelines. The Board will not accept or tolerate the improper use of video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment and will take appropriate action in any cases of wrongful use of this policy.

Annually, the Superintendent shall conduct a review to verify that this policy and its implementing guidelines are being adhered to, and report to the Board on the use of video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment in the District.

 
Adopted February 28, 2018
© Neola 2009

Wellness

8510 - WELLNESS

As required by law, the Board of Education establishes the following wellness policy for the Oak Hill Union Local School District as a part of a comprehensive wellness initiative.

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the District's students. Furthermore, research suggests that there is a positive correlation between a student's health and well-being and his/her ability to learn. Moreover, schools can play an important role in the developmental process by which students establish their health and nutrition habits by providing nutritious meals and snacks through the schools' meal programs, by supporting the development of good eating habits, and by promoting increased physical activity both in and out of school.

Schools alone, however, cannot develop in students healthy behaviors and habits with regard to eating and exercise. It will be necessary for not only the staff, but also parents and the public at large to be involved in a community-wide effort to promote, support, and model such healthy behaviors and habits.

The Board sets the following goals in an effort to enable students to establish good health and nutrition habits:

  1. With regard to nutrition education, the District shall:
     
    1. Nutrition education shall be included in the sequential, comprehensive Health curriculum in accordance with the curriculum standards and benchmarks established by the State. 
       
    2. Nutrition education standards and benchmarks shall be age-appropriate and culturally relevant.
       
    3. Nutrition education shall extend beyond the classroom by engaging and involving the school's food service staff.
       
    4. Nutrition education shall extend beyond the school by engaging and involving families and the community.
       
    5. Nutrition education shall reinforce lifelong balance by emphasizing the link between caloric intake (eating) and exercise in ways that are age-appropriate.
       
    6. Staff responsible for providing instruction in nutrition education shall regularly participate in professional development activities designed to better enable them to teach the benchmarks and standards.
       
  2.  With regard to physical activity, the District shall:
     
    1. Physical Education
       
      1. The sequential, comprehensive physical education curriculum shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice, and be assessed on developmentally appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to engage in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
         
      2. All students in grades K-12, including those with disabilities and/or special health care needs and in alternative educational settings (to the extent consistent with the students' IEPs), shall receive daily physical education for the entire school year, for at least 150 minutes per week for K-5 students and at least 225 minutes per week for students in grades 6-12.
         
      3. The physical education curriculum shall provide sequential instruction related to the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
         
      4. Professional development opportunities should focus on the physical education content area.
         
      5. Planned instruction in physical education shall meet the needs of all students, including those who are not athletically gifted.
         
      6. Planned instruction in physical education shall include cooperative as well as competitive games.
         
      7. Any student who has been removed from physical education class participation because s/he has exhibited signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with having sustained a concussion or head injury shall not be permitted to return to physical education class until the student's condition is assessed by a physician, and the physician gives the student written clearance that it is safe to return to class.
         
    2. Physical Activity
       
      1. Physical activity should not be employed as a form of discipline or punishment.
         
      2. Schools shall encourage families to provide physical activity outside the regular school day, such as outdoor play at home, participation in sports sponsored by community agencies or organizations, and in lifelong physical activities like bowling, swimming, or tennis.
         
      3. The school shall encourage families and community organizations to help develop and institute programs that support physical activity of all sorts.
         
      4. In addition to planned physical education, the school shall provide age-appropriate physical activities (e.g., recess during the school day, intramurals and clubs before and after school, and interscholastic sports) that meet the needs of all students, including males, females, students with disabilities, and students with special health care needs.
         
  3. With regard to other school-based activities:

    Free drinking water shall be available to students during designated meal times and may be available throughout the school day.
     
    1. The schools shall schedule mealtimes so there is minimum disruption by bus schedules, recess, and other special programs or events.
       
    2. The school shall provide attractive, clean environments in which the students eat.
       
    3. The schools may demonstrate support for the health of all students by hosting health clinics and screenings and encouraging parents to enroll their eligible children in Medicaid or in other children's health insurance programs for which they may qualify.
       
    4. Schools in our system utilize electronic identification and payment systems, therefore, eliminating any stigma or identification of students eligible to receive free and/or reduced meals.
       
  4. With regard to nutrition promotion, any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on the school campus, during the school day, will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

All foods and beverages sold to students as fund-raisers outside of the school meals program during the regular and extended school day for consumption on the school campus shall meet the USDA Competitive Food regulations, the Alliance for A Healthier Generation's Competitive Foods and Beverages Guidelines, and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

Furthermore, with the objectives of enhancing student health and well being, and reducing childhood obesity, the following guidelines are established:

  1. In accordance with Policy 8500, entitled Food Service, the food service program shall comply with Federal and State regulations pertaining to the selection, preparation, consumption, and disposal of food and beverages, including but not limited to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, as well as to the fiscal management of the program.
     
  2. As set forth in Policy 8531, entitled Free and Reduced Price Meals, the guidelines for reimbursable school meals are not less restrictive than the guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

    The sale of foods of minimal nutritional value in the food service area during the lunch period is prohibited.
     
  3. The sale of foods and beverages to students that do not meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards to be consumed on the school campus during the school day is prohibited. 
     
  4. All food items and beverages available for sale to students for consumption on the school campus (any area of property under the jurisdiction of the school that is accessible to students during the school day) between midnight and thirty (30) minutes after the close of the regular school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, including, but not limited to, competitive foods that are available to students a la carte or as entrees in the dining area (except entree items that were offered on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) menu on the day of and the day after they are offered on the NSLP or SBP menu), as well as food items and beverages from vending machines, from school stores, or as fund-raisers, including those operated by student clubs and organizations, parent groups, or boosters clubs. 
     
  5. All foods offered on the school campus during the school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including competitive foods that are available to students a la carte in the dining area, as classroom snacks, from vending machines.
     
  6. All food and beverages that are provided, other than through sale, on the school campus during the school day (which may include for classroom parties and at holiday celebrations) shall comply with the food and beverage standards approved by the Superintendent and Food Service Coordinator.
     
  7. The food service program will strive to be financially self-supporting; however, if it is necessary to subsidize the operation, it will not be through the sale of foods with minimal nutritious value.
     
  8. The food service program will provide all students affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to be healthy and to learn well regardless of unpaid meal balances and without stigma.
     
  9. All food service personnel shall receive pre-service training in food service operations.
     
  10. Continuing professional development shall be provided for all staff of the food service program.

The Board designates the Superintendent as the individual charged with operational responsibility for measuring and evaluating the District's implementation and progress under this policy. The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines necessary to implement this policy.

The Superintendent shall appoint a District-wide Wellness Committee that includes parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, educational staff (including health and physical education teachers), mental health and social services staff, school health professionals, members of the public, and school administrators to oversee development, implementation, evaluation and periodic update of this policy. The Wellness Committee shall be an ad hoc committee with members recruited and appointed annually. School-level health advisory teams may assist in the planning and implementation of these Wellness initiatives.

The Wellness Committee shall be responsible for:

  1. assessment of the current school environment;
     
  2. review of the District's Wellness policy;
     
  3. presentation of the Wellness policy to the Board for approval;
     
  4. measurement of the implementation of the policy; and
     
  5. recommendation for the revision of the policy if necessary. 

Before the end of each school year, the Wellness Committee shall recommend to the Superintendent any revisions to the policy it deems necessary and/or appropriate. In its review, the Wellness Committee shall consider evidence-based strategies in determining its recommendations.

The Superintendent shall report annually to the Board on the Wellness Committee's progress and on its evaluation of the policy's implementation and areas for improvement, including the status of compliance by individual schools and progress made in attaining the policy's goals.

The Superintendent is also responsible for informing the public, including parents, students, and community members, on the content and implementation of this policy. In order to inform the public, the Superintendent shall post the policy on the District's website, including the Wellness Committee's assessment of the policy's implementation.

The District shall assess the Wellness Policy at least once every three (3) years on the extent to which schools in the District are in compliance with the District policy, the extent to which the District policy compares to model wellness policies, and the progress made in attaining the goals of the District Wellness Policy. The assessment shall be made available to the public on the School District's website.

Adopted February 28, 2018
Last Revised March 17, 2021
© Neola 2021

** Entire Board Policy Manual **

To access the entire Oak Hill Union Local School District Policy Manual, click here.

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