|
E - Business Management Note: This manual is currently not being updated online. We are in the process of updating the online manual and will post the updates soon.
|
FILE: EB BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
MANAGEMENT It shall be the policy of the Calcasieu Parish School Board to require that school properties be maintained in good physical condition. The Board, therefore, shall instruct the Superintendent to assure that all normal building and grounds maintenance, repairs and improvement functions are an integral part of the administration of the school system, including the elimination of any safety hazards. The Superintendent shall be delegated a broad range of administrative and supervisory authority relative to the school system's buildings and grounds program. Annual reports shall be made available to the Board relative to maintenance needs, safety, utility and attractiveness of school plants and grounds within the school system. TOBACCO USE FILE: EBB SAFETY PROGRAM A system-wide program of safety shall be maintained in order to render the school system environment as hazard-free as possible. Provisions of the safety program shall be in compliance with all state and federal guidelines and the school system's Accident Prevention Manual. All available information and assistance shall be utilized to enhance the safety of the school system. As part of the safety program, the Board shall require regular inspections of the buildings and grounds of each school, by the principal or the building administrator at non-school sites. Quarterly inspections, documented in writing, concerning the condition of all buildings within the system in terms of student, employee, and public care and safety shall be submitted by the principal or building administrator to the appropriate assistant superintendent. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:169 et
seq., 17:416. EMERGENCY DRILLS The Board shall require special drill activities be planned by the principal and faculty of each school to assure orderly movement and evacuation of students to the safest area in the event of an emergency. The plan shall provide for escape routes and alternate routes for all students and teachers in the schools. Teachers and students shall be informed of escape routes, and a map shall be placed in each room specifying the routes and procedures for evacuating the buildings. There shall be at least two fire exit drills held during the first two weeks of a school term and eight additional fire exit drills during the year. This is a total of ten (10) fire drills during the school year. There will be one disaster drill per semester; and one bus emergency evacuation drill per semester shall be held in each school of the school district. A report concerning all drills and evacuations shall be kept on file. Appropriate staff shall cooperate with Civil Defense authorities in the development of emergency and disaster plans. Revised: September, 1997 Ref: Louisiana Handbook for School
Administrators, Bulletin 741, Louisiana Department of Education; Board minutes,
9-9-97. HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES PESTICIDES The Board recognizes that the exposure of school children to pesticides poses known and unknown risks to their health and well-being. Therefore, the School Board shall prepare or cause to be prepared, and submit to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry on or before August first of each year, for each school under its authority, an annual pest management plan that applies integrated pest management strategies of pest prevention methods and strongly recommends the least toxic methods of control for grass and weed control, and rodent and general pest control in, on or around school structures and grounds. Any deviation from the submitted annual pest management plan shall be delivered in writing to the Director of Pesticide and Environmental Programs of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to any pesticide application. Records of inspections, identification, monitoring, evaluations, and pesticide applications shall be maintained by the schools and submitted with the annual pesticide management plan to the department annually. In addition to a comprehensive pest management
plan, the School Board, in accordance with statutory provisions shall:
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§3:3381-3389. FILE: EBC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
SECURITY Buildings of the Calcasieu Parish School Board constitute one of the greatest investments of the school system. It is in the best interest of the system to protect the investment adequately. Access to school buildings and grounds outside of regular school hours shall be limited to personnel whose work requires it. An adequate key control shall be established which will limit access to buildings to authorized personnel and will safeguard against the potential entrance to buildings by keys in the hands of unauthorized persons. All incidents which affect the security of the campus or damage school property shall be reported immediately to the Superintendent or his designee. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81. FILE: EBCA VANDALISM The Board shall encourage students, teachers, and every citizen of the community to cooperate in reporting any incidents of vandalism to property belonging to the Board and the name(s) of the persons believed to be responsible. Each employee of the school district shall report to the Superintendent and/or principal every incident of vandalism known to them and, if known, the names of those responsible. The Superintendent shall be authorized to sign
a criminal complaint and to press charges against perpetrators of vandalism
against school property, and shall further be authorized to delegate as he sees
fit, authority to sign such complaints and to press charges. RESTITUTION FOR DAMAGED OR MISSING PROPERTY Every effort shall be made to recover damages from adult vandals or from the parents of juvenile vandals to cover the theft of equipment or the destruction of school property. This shall apply not only to damage as a result of breaking and entering at nights or during holidays, but also to damage done to school property by pupils during the course of the school day, over and above normal wear and tear. In instances where property has been reported as damaged or missing, the Board shall cause school personnel to attempt to determine the responsible parties in accordance with the following:
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:416;
Board minutes, 9-22-88, 4-20-93. REPAIRS All requests for maintenance services shall be submitted to the maintenance supervisor by the person responsible for the site on which the maintenance and/or repair is needed. Requests for summer maintenance services shall be made on the prescribed forms. Requests for repair of hazardous conditions or of an emergency nature should be reported to the maintenance supervisor and/or the appropriate Associate Superintendent as soon as the condition requiring repair is identified. Such hazardous and emergency requests shall be given priority consideration by the staff. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81. FILE: ECF EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE The Calcasieu Parish School Board shall be
responsible for the maintenance, repair, and care of all equipment, vehicles,
and any used or unused items in or on School Board property. The School Board
shall delegate responsibility to the Superintendent to properly maintain all
such property and equipment. The Superintendent shall make sure that the care of
such property or equipment complies with applicable laws, ordinances and
regulations, including building and fire safety code regulations, until such
property or equipment is sold, leased or otherwise disposed of by the School
Board. FILE: ED STUDENT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT The School Board shall provide to eligible students school transportation services which shall meet the objectives of safety, efficiency, adequacy, and economy. Through the use of publicly and privately owned buses, the Board shall maintain a student transportation program that shall conform to or exceed minimum standards as set forth by pertinent statutes and the State Department of Education, and as may be outlined in the district's School Bus Driver's Operating Handbook. It shall be unlawful for the School Board to permit the transport at one time a number of children on a school bus that exceeds the number of seats on that bus. All vehicles, owned by either the school district or contract bus drivers, shall carry evidence of insurance and be registered, marked, and equipped according to law. Contract bus drivers who purchase their own insurance shall be required to annually submit to the Supervisor of Transportation proof of proper and valid insurance coverage prior to any usage of the bus. Should any coverage aspects or insurance policy provisions change during the year, the bus operator shall notify the Supervisor of Transportation immediately. All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned driver and the Supervisor of Transportation on a regular basis. All school vehicles shall be inspected a minimum of twice a year, once during June, July or August and certified as safe prior to beginning of the school session, and once during December, January, or February of each school year, by an approved Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection Station. Buses fifteen (15) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students. All school buses used to transport students shall at all times be driven by drivers possessing a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and having completed pre-service certification training provided by an agency licensed by the Louisiana State Department of Education. All school bus operators, including contract bus operators, shall be required to personally operate the school bus assigned or owned, except in the case of illness or emergency. In such cases, a substitute shall be assigned by the Supervisor of Transportation. A principal shall be required to put in writing any request of a bus driver that deviates from the provisions found in the Operating Handbook. BUS DRIVER SIGN-IN All bus drivers shall be required to sign in at the last site of each route, regardless of whether the route is a regular or platoon route. BUS PURCHASES It is the policy of the Calcasieu Parish School Board that any used school bus purchased for use in the parish shall meet current statutory requirements for motor vehicles and shall meet Louisiana specifications for school buses that were in effect on the date the vehicle was manufactured. All bus purchases shall require prior approval of the Board. School buses used to transport students, including activity and backup buses, shall not be more than twenty-five (25) years old. All replacement school buses, at the time they are acquired by the owner, shall be ten (10) or less model years old. The number of years shall be reckoned from the date of introduction of the model year. This shall apply to buses purchased by veteran owners/operators, by newly hired owners/operators and by the School Board, individual schools, booster clubs, etc., for the purposes of transporting children to and from school and school-related activities and for use as spare buses. When a new bus is purchased or the ownership of a bus is transferred, the driver shall assure that the bus is in compliance with all requirements contained in applicable laws and school district regulations. All buses so purchased shall be required to satisfactorily pass all mandated inspections prior to any usage. Revised: May, 1992 FILE: ED-R DISCIPLINE OF BUS DRIVERS
INVOLVED IN PREVENTABLE ACCIDENTS The following discipline actions will be taken if the accidents have been ruled preventable by the Supervisor/Accident Review Committee: Disciplinary action taken shall be consistent with the nature of the offense committed. This may include oral reprimand, written reprimand, suspension, and termination of the employee. Preventable accidents shall accrue to the responsible employee's driving record for a period of thirty-six (36) months, after which time, the accidents shall be dropped from the record. In formal actions such as written reprimands and suspensions, a written notice shall be given to the employee which shall include a description of the infraction committed, and except in termination cases, a statement of the likely consequences of further violations of safety rules. Procedures outlined in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:493 relating to suspensions and/or terminations of tenured/non-tenured bus drivers will be followed. 1st Accident - Oral reprimand. The supervisor will talk with the employee concerning the safety procedures that need to be followed and the consequences if corrective action is not taken. 2nd Accident - Written reprimand. A copy of the written reprimand will be placed in the employee's personnel file. 3rd Accident - Suspension. The suspension will be written and placed in the employee's personnel file. THE LENGTH OF THE SUSPENSION WILL BE BASED ON THE NATURE OF DRIVING VIOLATION(S) COMMITTED. 4th Accident - Termination. Termination will be used as a last resort. Exception: In case of any accident (including the first) resulting from an employee's gross negligence, operating while intoxicated, or other misconduct, disciplinary action for the misconduct may be taken by the proper authority without benefit of an Accident Review Committee hearing and without consideration of the operator's thirty-six (36) month period driving record number of accidents. POST ACCIDENT: Revised: August, 1997 Ref: Board minutes 3-19-96, 6-17-97.
FILE: EDAE STUDENT TRANSPORTATION IN
PRIVATE VEHICLES The Board recognizes that there are times in which private vehicles need to be and are used to transport students to and from school sponsored events. The Board directs that such transportation services shall only be utilized as authorized by the principal. Otherwise, proper student transportation, i.e., Board owned or operated vehicles, shall be used. Whenever possible, private vehicles shall be chosen well in advance of the anticipated usage, and the Board shall require the school to inform the owner of the private vehicle of insurance coverage responsibility. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81. SAFETY INSPECTION It shall be the policy of the Board to require that all vehicles regularly used for the transportation of children and employees, whether privately or publicly owned, be inspected regularly by authorized and qualified personnel. Any vehicle found to be deficient shall be so designated and shall not be used to transport students until the appropriate repairs have been made and further inspection reveals that the deficiency has been removed. All buses and other vehicles used primarily for the transportation of students shall be inspected by the assigned driver and the Supervisor of Transportation on a regular basis. All school vehicles shall be inspected a minimum of twice a year, once during June, July or August and certified as safe prior to the beginning of the school session, and once during December, January, or February of each school year, by an approved Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection Station. Buses fifteen (15) years of age or older shall be inspected more frequently than other buses to assure effectiveness of operation and safety of students. Revised: November, 1993 Ref: Student Transportation Handbook, Bulletin
1191, State Department of Education. FILE: EDDA SPECIAL USE OF SCHOOL BUSES School buses in Calcasieu Parish shall be used primarily for carrying children to school or other school activities during the regular session. School buses owned by the Board may be used to make special trips provided that:
Revised: September, 1994 Ref: Board minutes, 10-5-93, 10-6-94. SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE
MANAGEMENT The School Board believes the school district should have a sound school food service program and that the school food service program should be an integral part of the total educational program. The Board also believes that the highest possible sanitation standards should be maintained and that every effort should be made to make it possible for every child to participate in the school food service program. Consequently, the Board shall administer a Child Nutrition Service program in accordance with federal and state standards and requirements as outlined by the State Department of Education, including that only those meat, poultry and seafood products that have met all state certification requirements shall be utilized in school food service facilities. Uniform school lunch menus shall be established for the schools with the provisions that a lunchroom may, in addition to the uniform lunch, serve an additional menu to provide a choice for pupils. Menus shall conform to USDA requirements and those of the Child Nutrition Division, State Department of Education. The Board, as the recognized child nutrition
services authority for the school district, shall annually approve a free and
reduced price meal and free milk program. The approved agreement shall meet all
specifications mandated by the State Department's Child Nutrition Division. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:191 et seq., 39:2101; School Food Services Policies of Operation, Bulletin 1196, State Department of Education.
COPYRIGHT POLICY It is the policy of the Calcasieu Parish School Board to adhere to the provisions of the United States Copyright Law. In an effort to discourage violation of the Copyright Law and to prevent illegal activities from occurring in facilities utilizing equipment under the Board's control, the following policy will be applied:
Ref: U.S.C. §17:101-810 (Copyright Act of
1976). RISK/INSURANCE MANAGEMENT The Calcasieu Parish School Board recognizes its responsibility for properly managing the resources of the school system. This responsibility includes concern for the safety of students, employees and the public as well as concern for protecting the system's property from loss. No new Board policy, regulation, or procedure shall be adopted or approved by the Board without first giving careful consideration to the school system's risk exposure. The Superintendent or his designee shall be responsible for establishing a risk management and insurance program governing all property and program risks related to the performance of the educational and service missions of the system. The risk management and insurance program shall include means for identifying, eliminating, reducing, retaining or transferring risk exposures. The Board realizes that the assumption of some predictable risk is the most economically feasible method of treating certain exposures. When in the apparent best interest of the school system, the Board may budget for, and retain, limited and predictable risks of financial loss. When the purchase of insurance is deemed necessary, such purchase shall be made on the basis of service offered by the insurer, the reliability and financial stability of the insurer, and the price of the insurance as competitively determined. The Board does not recognize any obligation to purchase insurance from a particular agent(s), broker(s) or insurer representative(s) other than an obligation based on the above stated considerations. The Superintendent shall have the responsibility for preparing an annual risk management program and a summary of the existing insurance coverage. The Board authorizes the Superintendent to seek professional risk management advice, if necessary, in order to develop, implement and maintain an effective risk management and insurance program for the system. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:159.2,
17:169, 32:601. FILE: EGAA WORKERS' COMPENSATION The Board directs that all employees, (for the purposes of this section, the term employee shall include board members) shall be provided workers' compensation coverage while acting in their official capacity as an employee of the Board. Should an employee become injured while on duty, said employee shall be entitled to receive, the appropriate medical and wage benefits prescribed under state workers' compensation laws and/or appropriate sick leave benefits. In no case, however, shall the total amount of wage benefits received exceed the total amount of regular salary the employee was receiving at the time of injury. Should an accident occur to an employee while in the course of his duties, a detailed report shall be submitted to the Superintendent or his designee by the employee's supervisor. Periodic medical exams and subsequent reports verifying prolonged disability may be required. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:1201, 23:1034. FILE: EGD AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY The Board shall require personnel within the school district, who use their own vehicles while on official school business during the course of their employment, to carry automobile liability insurance. The amount of coverage shall be at least that required by state law. Persons using their own vehicles shall submit verification of coverage to the Superintendent or his designee before commencing any travel or being eligible for expense reimbursement. Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§32:816 et seq., 32:900. |