WSESD
Policy and Amendment Committee
The WSESD Policy and Amendment Committee will meet Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 2:30pm
in the WSESU District Office, 53 Green Street, Brattleboro and via Zoom.
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Meeting ID: 853 3853 0769 Passcode: sk5ACu
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Meeting ID: 853 3853 0769 Passcode: 955970
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AGENDA – 10/3/2023
I. Approval of Minutes from 9/19/23
II. Update:
D1 Personnel-Recruitment, Selection, Appointment, and Background Checks (2 nd
Reading)
E10 School Crisis Prevention and Response (1st Reading)
E15 Security Cameras (1 st Reading)
F9 Student Alcohol and Drugs (1 st Reading)
LSP-11 Video Security Cameras (Rescind)
III. Policies on Hold
F1 Student Conduct and Discipline in conjunction with model policy
F2 Bus Discipline – pending review of edits
G8 Continuous Improvement Plan to be reconsidered following CIP presentation at
9/26 WSESD meeting
E14 Environmental Awareness and Responsibility pending review by sustainability
coordinator
IV. Evaluate
D11 Public Complaints About Personnel
C9 Board Commitment to Non-Discrimination – referenced in D11
F36 Student Freedom of Expression in School Sponsored Media
F32 Student Self-Expression and Student Distribution of Literature referenced in F36
G13 Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources & the Internet
G16 Class Size Policy
F4 Search and Seizure of Student Property by School Personnel
F5 Searches, Seizures, and Interrogation of Students by Law Enforcement Personnel or
Other Non-School Personnel
Next Meeting: October 17, 2023
Meeting to conclude at 4:30.
TITLE: Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment and CODE: D1
Background Checks Recommended
Policy
of good character who have the skills and other qualifications necessary to fulfill job
requirements while complying with the provisions of state law regarding the recruitment,
selection, and employment of school district employees and contractors.
those recommended for full-time, part-time, or temporary employment in the School District,
including student teachers, and those contractors and employees of contractors who may have
unsupervised contact with students and are subject by law to criminal record and abuse registry
checks prior to or in the course of employment.
The Superintendent may request a name and date of birth or fingerprint-supported check of the
criminal record of any current employee who has previously undergone a check, at any time
during the course of the record subject’s employment in the capacity for which the original check
was required.
The District shall ensure that adults employed in the schools maintained by the District receive
orientation, information or instruction on the prevention, identification and reporting of child
abuse as required by state law. The District will also provide opportunities for parents, guardians,
and other interested persons to receive the same information.
Definitions
1. The term “criminal record” as used in this policy shall have the same meaning as defined in
16 V.S.A. §252(1).
2. The term “unsupervised” as used in this policy shall have the same meaning as defined
in 16 V.S.A. § 252(4).
3. The term “abuse registry” as used in this policy shall include the Vermont Child Protection
Registry maintained by the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the
Vulnerable Adult Abuse Registry maintained by the Vermont Department of Disabilities,
Aging and Independent Living.
4. The terms “employ” or “employment” as used in this policy shall, as the context requires,
apply to individuals who are, or are being considered for full-time, part-time, or temporary
employment in the School District, including student teachers and those contractors and
employees of contractors who may have unsupervised contact with students.
Recruitment
1. The Board is committed to securing the services of the best personnel available. Only
individuals who meet applicable state licensing requirements will be employed.
2. The Board seeks historically marginalized applicants in accordance with its policy pertaining
to non-discrimination and pursuant to its commitment to quality education. The District will
attempt to provide an educational experience enhanced by the professional contributions of
representatives of different races, physical conditions, gender identities, ethnic backgrounds
and age groups.
The WSESD has established social justice and anti-racism as ongoing goals for the school
community. Among these is increasing the diversity of our workforce to better reflect the
diversity of our learners. To this end, recruitment materials provided by the District will begin
with the following statement and include a link to the WSESD Ongoing Social Justice and
Anti-Racist Commitment.
“The Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) is an increasingly diverse community
with an ongoing commitment to social justice and anti-racism. We are looking for
enthusiastic professionals to join us in furthering this work.”
3. All personnel will be recruited by the District’s administrative staff under the immediate
direction of the Superintendent. The Superintendent will develop procedures for recruiting
and hiring personnel that follow best practices and support the goal of increasing workforce
diversity. Procedures will include participation from a variety of stakeholder groups as
appropriate. For positions indicated in the appendix, the School Board will appoint
representative board members to screening / hiring committees. The Board and
Superintendent will collaborative to review additional positions for inclusion in the appendix
as needed.
4. Written or electronic applications will be required of candidates for employment. The
application will also include a warning to the applicant that falsification of information on the
application or during the application process will be grounds for dismissal if the applicant is
hired.
5. After the initial written or electronic application process is complete, applicants selected for an
interview will be required to provide a statement identifying any criminal charges brought
against the applicant, including the date of each charge, the court where the charge was filed
and the disposition of the charge. The statement shall also include a warning to the applicant
in bold print that falsification of information or the omission of information on the statement
may constitute grounds for dismissal if the applicant is hired. Any job offer shall be made
contingent on the candidate successfully completing the school district’s background check
process.
Selection
1. It is the policy of the Board to select employees solely on the basis of character, professional
qualifications, and critical job requirements. Employees will be selected in a manner that
does not unlawfully discriminate. The Superintendent shall require that all applicants, as a
condition of employment consideration, cooperate fully with background investigations,
supplying references and releases so the District can contact previous employers. Applicants
the Superintendent is prepared to recommend for employment will be expected to provide
fingerprints, releases and other information necessary to conduct criminal record background
investigations. The costs of such checks will be borne by the School District. All offers of
employment will be contingent on the candidate’s successfully completing the background
investigation process and a finding that the information provided by the applicant during the
pre-employment process was accurate, complete and truthful.
2. The Superintendent shall request a criminal records check through the Vermont Criminal
Information Center (VCIC) on any candidate they intend to appoint or are prepared to
recommend for appointment. Requests will be made for fingerprint-supported criminal
records from the FBI as well as criminal records from the State of Vermont and any state in
which the Superintendent knows the applicant has resided or been employed. The
Superintendent shall maintain such records in accordance with state law.
3. The Superintendent shall also request information through any available abuse registry to
determine whether there are any substantiated abuse/neglect charges or sex offense
convictions against an applicant before appointing or nominating a candidate for employment.
The Superintendent shall maintain such records in accordance with state law.
4. Employment conditioned on the completion of a background check may be terminated if it is
determined that the employee failed to respond truthfully to questions about criminal activity
or prior employment. In any event, the Superintendent shall forward the information received
from VCIC to the person about whom the request was made and inform the person of their
rights to challenge the accuracy of the record and determine the disposition of the record
under 16 VSA §§ 255(f), (g).
5. Providing a safe learning environment for students is a primary consideration in District
employment decisions. The District will base such decisions on all relevant information,
qualifications, and circumstances. Unfavorable background check information is not an
automatic bar to employment, nor is a background check with no unfavorable information a
guarantee of employment. However, no person convicted of a sexual offense requiring
registration on the Vermont comprehensive sex offender registry shall be employed by the
School District or Supervisory Union.
Appointment
1. The appointment of licensed employees will be made by the Board subject to the nomination
of candidates by the Superintendent of Schools.
2. Subject to any pre-employment screening processes approved by the Board, the
Superintendent shall appoint all non-licensed employees to be employed by the School
District or Supervisory Union.
3. Contracts of employment or other notification of employment will be conditional pending
receipt of criminal records check information and evaluation of that information.
4. Upon completion of a criminal records check, the Superintendent shall:
• notify the person subject to the check about the District’s protocol for maintenance of
criminal history files, and
• ask the person subject to the check to indicate if their record should be maintained or
destroyed after the retention period specified in the District’s user agreement with VCIC.
5. Employees who have been employed for fewer than two years in Vermont public schools are
considered probationary teachers and may be offered a probationary contract. (See Policy D4-
Educator Supervision and Evaluation).
6. All offers of employment may be withdrawn based on the criminal records check report or
upon a finding that the information provided by the applicant during the pre-employment
process was inaccurate, incomplete or untruthful.
Date Warned: May 3, 2021
Date Adopted May 25, 2021
Date Warned for Readoption: September 27, 2023
Date Readopted:
Legal Reference(s): VSA §§ 251 et seq. (Criminal Record Checks)
16 VSA § 242(3) and § 563 (12) (Responsibility for Hiring)
Act 1 of 2009 (adjourned Session)
Act 108 of 2010
Cross Reference: Board Commitment to Non-Discrimination (C9)
Educator Supervision and Evaluation (D4)
Personnel Files (D5)
WINDHAM SOUTHEAST SCHOOL DISTRICT
Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, and Putney,
Vermont
