How the Eastern Pulaski School Corporation deals with the arrests of its employees is outlined in a new policy approved by the school board Monday. Superintendent Dan Foster said it seeks to answer some of the questions about what’s supposed to happen if a school employee gets arrested. “Every situation’s going to be different, so it’s still not 100-percent cover-all, but it gives some direction to whoever is here and trying to make those very quick decisions,” he told board members. “And that was difficult to do, and it’s not fun, as you well know.”
Among other provisions, the new policy requires all school employees to report all arrests and criminal charges in writing to the superintendent or a designee. It also gives the superintendent the authority to decide whether immediate action is necessary to protect the safety of students and staff, as well as “the integrity of corporation operations.” An employee’s history may also be taken into consideration.
Those charged with a violent crime or an act against a child will be suspended immediately, pending an investigation. If a school employee fails to notify the corporation of an arrest, the superintendent may investigate and determine the appropriate disciplinary action, including termination if it’s a felony arrest.
Foster said he’d heard few, if any, complaints about the policy, since he first presented it to the school board last month. “We have vetted this, obviously, with attorneys,” he said. “We did have the first reading, and it’s been a public document on the website. I’ve had no comments since then. I had one question about the history, if that was work history or if that was outside-of-work history, and I said, ‘To me, that’s history.’ That was the only question I had. Nobody else has come forward and said, ‘I have a problem,’ ‘I have a question,’ ‘I have a concern.'”
With no more discussion, the Eastern Pulaski School Board approved the policy unanimously.
