File: KI - VISITORS TO THE SCHOOLS

The School Committee welcomes parents/guardians and guests to visit classrooms to support, observe, and learn about the instructional programs taking place in our schools.  Such visits can prove most beneficial in promotion of greater school-home cooperation and community understanding of how we carry out the school system's mission and goals.  These will most often be scheduled by the school or teacher for the purpose of volunteer support or for student demonstrations or exhibits.

Visits by parents to several classrooms in a given grade for the purposes of comparing teaching styles to provide a basis for a request for student assignment to a particular teacher are strongly discouraged because the School District's policy of assigning a student to a particular class is the sole responsibility of the building Principal in consultation with the staff of that school.

The following guidelines to classroom and school visits should be followed:

1. Request for classroom visitations by parents/guardians will be welcomed as long as the educational process is not disrupted.  To this end we request that such requests be made at least forty-eight hours in advance to allow for proper arrangements to be made.

2. The building Principal has the authority to determine the number, times, and dates of observations by visitors. This will be done in consultation with staff members so as to give adequate notice to the staff members of the impending visits.

3. For security purposes, it is requested that all visitors report to the Principal's office upon entering and leaving the building and sign a guest log showing arrival and departure times. Teachers are encouraged to ask visitors if they have registered in the Principal's office.

4. Under ordinary circumstances, classroom observations will be strongly discouraged during the first three weeks of school in September and during the month of June.

5. Any student who wishes to have a guest in school MUST ask permission of one of the administrative staff 24 HOURS in advance of the proposed visit.  If permission is granted, the guest is expected to follow the standards of behavior expected of all students. Upon arrival the guest must register in the office. Any guest who fails to comply with student regulations will be asked to leave the school building and grounds immediately.

CROSS REF.: IHBAA, Observations of Special Education Programs

Approved on August 17, 2023.