School Board Policy 903 -
Visitors to School District Property and Facilities

Adopted: April 28, 1997
REVISED: december 10, 2001
revised: august 25, 2003
revised: april 9, 2012
revised: june 10, 2017
revised: december 10, 2018
Revised: April 16, 2021

I. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish rules and procedures governing visits to district property and district facilities.

II. General Statement of Policy 

The School Board encourages interest on the part of parents and community members in the district’s programs and activities. The School Board recognizes that reasonable restrictions must be placed on visits to district facilities in order to maintain an environment that is safe and conducive to learning and working.

III. Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Students

A. A student enrolled in a post-secondary enrollment options course may remain at the school site during regular school hours in accordance with established procedures.

B. A student enrolled in a post-secondary enrollment options course may be provided with reasonable access, during regular school hours, to a computer and other technology resources that the student needs to complete coursework for a post- secondary enrollment course in accordance with established procedures.

IV. Definitions

A. “Central administrator” means the Superintendent and any director with district- wide responsibilities.

B. “District facility” means any building that is owned, leased, or operated by the district.

C. “District property” means any real property that is owned, leased, or operated by the district, including, but not limited to, athletic stadiums and athletic fields.

D. “Parent” means a biological parent, adoptive parent, legal guardian, or conservator.

E. “School building” means any district facility where a program of education is offered to preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and alternative/transition school students.

F. “Visitor” means any person who enters a district facility during the regular school year during scheduled school hours, except for the following: enrolled students who are in the facility to attend school, to participate in a school-sponsored event or activity, or to attend a meeting of a student-initiated, non-curriculum related group that is recognized by the district; employees who are assigned to work at the facility; volunteers who have been assigned to be in the facility at the time of the visit; and central administrators.

V. Procedures 

A. Visitor Procedures

All visitors must comply with the following procedures when entering a district facility, unless they are attending an event or activity that is open to the public, such as parent-teacher conferences, a School Board meeting, or an athletic contest:

1. Immediately upon entering a district facility, all visitors must report to the administrative office or reception desk. Signage indicating this reporting requirement must be prominently displayed on or near all unlocked doors to the facility.

2. Upon reporting to the administrative office or reception desk, all visitors must provide information including but not limited to: names, identification, purpose of their visit, time of their arrival, and location of the building in which the visit will occur.

3. A central administrator or building principal may impose additional restrictions on any parent who has caused or may cause a disruption in a district facility or who has negatively impacted the school day and/or the educational setting.

4. A central administrator, the building principal, an assistant principal, or a designee will follow this policy in determining whether or not permission will be granted for a visit to a school building. A central administrator will follow this policy in determining whether or not permission will be granted for a visit to a district facility that is not a school building.

5. If permission for a visit is granted, the visitor will be given a visitor’s identification badge/label stating the visitor’s name and the location in the building where the visit will occur.

6. All visitors must wear the issued visitor identification badge/label in a conspicuous location at all times while in a district facility.

7. If a district employee sees a visitor in a school building without a visitor’s identification badge/label, the employee must either escort the visitor to the administrative office or immediately notify the administrative office of the presence of the visitor.

8. Upon completing a visit, a visitor must return to the administrative office or reception desk, return any reusable visitor’s identification badge issued to the visitor, sign their name on the same form that was signed upon entering the building, and state the time of their departure.

B. Visits to Classrooms

Subject to the requirements of this policy, parents may observe their child in the classroom for up to two hours on two occasions per school year.

1. Parents who wish to observe their child in the classroom during the regular school day must schedule the visit at least three (3) school days in advance with the building principal.

2. A central administrator or building principal may consider the allowance of additional time beyond two visits if they deem is appropriate.

3. A central administrator, building principal, assistant principal, or designee may reschedule or terminate any visit in the event of an emergency or unforeseen circumstance.

C. Parent Procedures for Communicating with Children

The district recognizes that under limited circumstances parents may occasionally need to communicate with their children during the school day. When this need arises, parents must follow one of the following procedures:

1. Parents may call the office and ask to speak with their child. School staff will then locate the child and instruct the child to come to the office to speak with the parent by telephone. This may occur by making an announcement over the school’s intercom system. Students generally will not be permitted to place or receive a call from a classroom.

2. Parents may enter the administrative office of a school building and ask the office staff to call their child to the office. Parents may not go directly to a classroom or to any other location in a district facility without complying with the Visitor Procedures stated in this policy.

D. Administrative Procedures in Response to Inappropriate Conduct

Central administrators, building principals, assistant principals, and designees are encouraged to take the following steps when a visitor violates this policy or engages in any other inappropriate conduct:

1. Notify the offending visitor that his or her conduct is inappropriate.

2. Notify the offending visitor that if the conduct does not cease immediately, the visitor will be required to leave the building.

3. Notify the offending visitor that he or she is required to immediately leave the building.

4. Contact law enforcement.

5. Document the incident.

6. Take other action that the central administrator, building principal, assistant principal, or designee reasonably deems to be prudent or necessary in order to:

a. protect the safety of students, staff, or school property

b. maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and working

c. maintain an environment that is free from all forms of abusive and disruptive conduct

7. Any step or steps of this procedure may be skipped or addressed at a later time if the central administrator, building principal, assistant principal, or designee determines, in the exercise of their professional judgment, that immediate removal of the offending visitor is in the best interests of the students or the staff.

VI. Rules of Conduct for Visitors 

A. Required Conduct

All visitors must demonstrate respect and civility when interacting with other individuals during a visit. In addition, all visitors must immediately comply with any and all lawful directives given by a district employee, including a directive to leave the building.

B. Prohibited Conduct

Visitors must not do any of the following during a visit:

1. Violate any law;

2. Violate any district or school policy, regulation, rule, or procedure;

3. Make any threat or engage in any threatening or intimidating behavior;

4. Engage in any conduct that is designed to intimidate another person or that could reasonably be perceived as being designed to intimidate another person;

5. Demonstrate hostility toward another person;

6. Engage in conduct that is objectively rude;

7. Use any obscene or foul language;

8, Make or participate in making any personal attacks against another person;

9. Make or participate in making any objectively disrespectful, demeaning, disparaging, or insulting comments or statements about or to another person;

10. Make unwelcome physical contact with any person other than their own child, unless the physical contact is part of the normal greeting process, such as a handshake, or is reasonably necessary to prevent imminent harm to another person or serious harm to property;

11. Photograph, film, or otherwise create an audio or video record of any students, employees, or volunteers of the district, unless the visitor is on district property or in a limited part of a district facility to attend an event or activity that is open to the public, such as a School Board meeting or an athletic contest;

12. Enter onto school property while impaired from the use of alcohol or any other chemical;

13. Create or participate in creating a disruption to the learning or working environment. Examples of disruptive behavior include, but are not limited to, using a raised voice with shouting or yelling; swearing; talking with a teacher, classroom aide, or a student while observing in a classroom; using or allowing an electronic device to create noise or visual distractions or to make audio or video recordings in the classroom; and engaging in other conduct that interrupts a lesson while observing in a classroom.

VII. Grounds for Denying a Request to Visit

A. Parent Visits for Purpose Other than Classroom Observation

A central administrator, a building principal, an assistant principal, or a designee may deny permission for a parent to visit any part of a district facility if the central administrator, the principal, the assistant principal, or the designee determines that:

1. The parent has refused or failed to comply with any part of this policy;

2. The parent violated any rule or procedure of this policy while visiting a district facility on a prior occasion during the school year;

3. The requested date or time for the visit is educationally inappropriate or inconvenient;

4. The parent has created a disruption during a prior visit and is likely to create a disruption if permitted to visit again;

5. The parent’s presence in the district facility is not in the best interests of student or staff;

6. The parent presents a risk of harm to other persons, including but not limited to students, staff members, other parents or community members, or to district property;

7. The parent’s parental rights have been terminated or the parent does not have physical or legal custody or visitation rights during the school day or the period of time when the parent wants to visit the district facility; or

8. The parent’s actions or words suggest that the parent is impaired from using alcohol or another chemical.

B. Classroom Observations by Parent

A central administrator, the building principal, an assistant principal, or a designee may deny a parent’s request to observe their child in the classroom, or may revoke permission for such a visit, if the central administrator, principal, assistant principal, or designee determines that:

1. Any of the reasons for denying a visit in Section V(A) of this policy have been met;

2. The parent has failed or refused to schedule the classroom observation in advance;

3. The parent observed in the classroom on a prior occasion during the school year and created a disruption;

4. The requested date or time for the observation is educationally inappropriate or inconvenient, such as when a test is being administered, when a substitute teacher or guest speaker is present, or when students are attending an assembly or going on a field trip;

5. The parent has already observed the child in the classroom on two occasions during the school year;

6. The parent’s presence in the classroom is not in the best interests of the other persons, including but not limited to students, staff members, other parents or community members.

C. Classroom Observations by an Independent Examiner

If the parent of a special education student requests an independent educational evaluation (IEE) or hires an independent examiner to evaluate a child, and the parent requests that the independent examiner be permitted to observe the child in the classroom, the district will allow the independent examiner to visit and observe the student in the classroom to the extent permitted by law, provided that the independent examiner complies with all provisions of this policy and does not create a disruption. The district may assign a staff member to accompany an independent examiner during all observations. An independent examiner may not interview any students at school or any district employees without prior written permission from the district. A district representative will be present during any interviews.

D. Parent’s Right to Appeal

If a parent believes that a request to visit a district facility has been improperly denied, the parent may submit a written appeal to the Superintendent. The decision of the Superintendent, or a designee of the Superintendent, is final.

E. Visits by Third Parties

A central administrator, a building principal, an assistant principal, or a designee may, as they see fit, deny a visitor’s request to visit any part of a district facility if the visitor is not a parent of a child who attends school in the facility.

VIII. Parking

During school hours, visitors must park their vehicles in spaces designated for visitors. Vehicles that are parked in unauthorized spaces may be towed to a different location at the vehicle owner’s expense.

IX. Penalties

Permission to be in a district facility is conditioned upon compliance with this policy. Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes section 609.605, subdivision 4, any person who violates this policy may be found guilty of a misdemeanor. Such persons may be detained by the school principal or a person designated by the school principal in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable period of time pending the arrival of a law enforcement officer. In addition to imposing other consequences specified in this policy, a central administrator, building principal, or assistant principal may issue an order prohibiting a person from entering onto school property.

Legal References:
Minn. Stat. § 123B.02 (General Powers of School Districts)
Minn. Stat. § 124D.09 (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program)
Minn. Stat. § 128C.08 (Assaulting a Sports Official Prohibited)
Minn. Stat. § 609.605, Subd. 4 (Trespass to School Property)