By Klaus Gaebel--Post Star The Saugerties Board of education unanimously rescinded a cell phone policy they had approved early in this term by a 6-3 vote. Board vice-president George Heidcamp had made an issue of cell phone use prior to becoming a school board candidate. He provided cell phone records that he claimed showed excessive personal use by some administrators. That led Heidcamp to help create a new cell policy for the district shortly after taking office in July. A less restrictive policy was already in place when a majority of the board agreed to the one. The new policy had since been reviewed by the new school attorney and found to be a negotiable item for terms of employment in the contracts of administrators, thereby prompting the board to take the action of voiding the policy. Also voided by board action was a “Technology Acceptable Use Policy” that attempted to manage computer and internet usage by district employees. That policy too was found to be one that would have to be negotiated, as it would change past practice. Changes to past practices are considered changes to the terms of employment, and thus negotiable items. Trustee Robert McCaig told board members “just a recommendation. In the future for these policies that we’re going to vote on, I think it would behoove us to run it past our attorneys first.’ According to Heidcamp, the technology policy had been reviewed by the district’s attorney at that time. It has since been found improper. Heidcamp referred to the original cell phone policy in place when he said “the previous board that passed that when cell phones came up, they’ve allowed them to use those phones the last few years, so we have to negotiate that.’ Heidcamp indicated he recently made a Freedom of Information request (FOIL) for records of cell usage and was impressed by cell calls now being made mostly inside the district. Addressing school administrators that were present at the meeting, trustee Jim Steinhilber added ‘I’d like to sit down with you some day when negotiations come up. I do believe that the cell calls were excessive at one point, but it seems like even though this policy was void right from the beginning because I believe it was a violation of the contract…you guys did an excellent job policing yourselves.” Steinhilber was referring to the apparent reduction of cell phone use for personal calls. Just prior to the board’s 9-0 vote to void the policy, president Don Tucker said ‘to the administrators involved in the cell phone policy, this board apologizes and we will negotiate the policy with you.” |