In an effort to increase transparency and inform the public, the Alexandria City School Board wants to launch its own website.
The School Board will discuss the development at its meeting tomorrow (Thursday). According to a draft proposal, Board Chair Michelle Rief would designate two board members to be co-editors to manage content, and that all content not republished from the Alexandria City Public Schools website would have to be approved by the school system’s attorney before publication.
“In the event a Board member believes that content on the Board website is inappropriate after publication, the Board member should present their concern to the co-editors,” according to the proposal. “If the Board members and co-editors are not able to reach consensus on the content, the co-editors consult with the Board Chair and Division Counsel. If the Board Chair, Division Counsel, and the co-editors cannot reach consensus, the matter will be considered by the full Board.”
The proposal did not include a website name or launch timeline. ALXnow has reached out to ACPS for more information.
Under the proposal, the website would publish between a minimum of two posts and a maximum of 35 posts per month. Approved content includes topic explainers on major board decisions, non-confidential information under review, individual board member statements, vote results and progress updates.
It would also include statements from the board chair on certain topics, information on upcoming elections, such as reminders to vote, and civic engagement opportunities.
Prohibited content includes:
- Supporting campaigns of individual board members or political parties
- Content that directly conflicts with or calls into question other ACPS-published material
- Disclosure of confidential information
- Disclosure of personnel records
- Disclosure of identifiable student information without the written permission of a parent or adult student
- False information
- Information that the Virginia Freedom of Information Act allows ACPS to withhold, such as advice of division counsel, information shared in closed meetings, safety and security plans, medical records and personnel investigations
The proposal states that, if approved, the policy will be reviewed annually by the board.
