Subject: Re: Return to reason and due process

The following is an email from Heath and Nancy Taylor to School Board Chairman Dennis Paulsen and his response:

Dennis,

As Chairman, you have the responsibility to move this board forward in
a positive direction.

One of the most important attributes of a functional organization is
to hold itself accountable for its actions, acknowledge mistakes,
learn from them, and move forward.  To move forward, the organization
must make those impacted by these actions whole to the maximum extent
possible.  In this case, the organization is an elected body and must
address those concerns of the citizens of King George,  who have
entrusted the board with governing and guiding education in King
George.

The Special Meeting of the School Board tonight provides the
opportunity for the King George County Schools to move in a positive
direction, rather than continue in this quagmire of a closed process
and arbitrary actions, where avoiding openness, covering mistakes,
omissions of fact, partial truths, accountability to no one, are the
norm, have a return to a transparency in all dealings and clarity of
purpose.

So Dennis, please consider the opportunity that one of the paths you
choose to take tonight holds for the future of our county schools in
setting a new direction.

Regards,

Nancy and Heath Taylor

Subject: Re: Return to reason and due process

Heath and Nancy,

I apologize for taking so long to get back to you, I have been out of town
on business for the past two weeks. The current litigation is still ongoing,
so I can't openly discuss the case specifics at this point.

I appreciated your input on the recent turn of events involving the
litigation against the Superintendant and School Board. It is interesting
that you brought up accountability, because I feel accountability is the
very underlying reason that we are in this litigation now. I can assure you
that this School Board's integrity and accountability is firmly intact and I
feel that we are addressing the concerns of all citizens of this county.
Everyone should be held accountable for one's actions. When a student is
found to violate the Student Code of Conduct, then the student has to be
held accountable and receive the appropriate punishment for that violation.
They read and sign the Code of Conduct at the beginning of each year,
holding themselves accountable to follow the rules and regualtions of that
Code or face the penalties for violation. That Code was developed to bring a
sense of order and stability to the school campus, and provide for a safe
environment for all of our children. If we were not to hold the students
accountable for their actions in accordance with the Code, then we would
have kaos in our schools.

The recent court injunction decision was based on the interruptation of
Virginia Law with regards to how the newly implemented Discipline Committee
was created, and was not decided by their execution of our policies and
procedures or whether due process was violated. The Discipline Committe was
created to the Virgina State School Boards Association guidelines and using
other regional school models. The Discipline Committe did nothing wrong in
executing the policies and procedures established by the School Board. As
with any new process or procedure, there is always room for improvement and
this School Board will continue to improve upon all of our policies and
procedures on a regular basis, as we have done for all of the years that I
have served the community as a member of the King George County School
Board.

Closed sessions, especially when dealing with litigation, are a necessary
part of the School Board meeting process and not a way to avoid openness. We
also meet in closed session to address personnel issues for the protection
of personal privacy. We follow the Virginai State School Law rules and
regulations of closed meetings to the letter. I take exception to your
statement that we are responsible for arbitrary actions, covering mistakes,
and ommisions of fact. Telling me that we are providing partial truths is
the same as saying we are all lying to the community. I would like to know
why you perceive the Board to be operating in this manner?

As I said before, we hold ourselves accountable to all the people King
George County. This board is made up of five King George citizens who have
volunteered their time to serve their community. There are no hidden agendas
on this team of professionals. This is a very positive and dynamic school
board, with a diverse range of opinions, thoughts and ideas. We treat each
other with respect and professional courtesy. I am very excited to be a part
of this team because i really feel that we will be able to make many
positive contributions to our county schools. Make no mistake, our purpose
as a board is crystal clear.

Thannks again for your input and don't hesitate to call me if have any
questions or concerns. Please know that my above comments are reflecting my
own opinions and thoughts and I am not speaking for the King George Count
School Board.

R,
Dennis Paulsen

Comments

[Edna B]

Hey Dennis - what is your purpose as a school board that you say is "crystal clear"?