Visitors and Volunteers in Burlington Schools
The board welcomes the interest of parents and other members of the school district community and invites them to visit the school buildings and sites. Visitors, which include persons other than employees or students, must notify the principal of their presence in the facility upon arrival.
Persons who wish to visit a classroom while school is in session are asked to notify the principal and obtain approval from the principal prior to the visit so appropriate arrangements can be made and so class disruption can be minimized. All volunteers must have a current Volunteer Self-Disclosure Form on file (available at the school office), completed each school year.
The Burlington Community School District uses the Raptor Visitor Management System. Any visitor entering the school building will be required to present a state-issued photo ID. The Raptor Visitor Management System will scan the ID, register the visitor, and print a name tag. The name tag must be worn for the duration of the visit.
Parent Conferences
Parent conferences are generally held twice a year for elementary schools and three times per year for secondary schools. Individual conferences may be scheduled at parent and/or teacher request as needed throughout the year. Parent contacts are encouraged, including via phone calls, notes, digital communications via the District’s adopted communication app, and class visits.
Parent Concerns
The Board recognizes that situations that are of concern to parents or to the public may arise in the operation of the District. The Board strongly believes that all concerns should be resolved at the lowest possible level of decision-making by the individuals involved through open communication by the individuals involved.
Therefore, the purpose of these complaint procedures is to resolve, at the lowest possible level, and as expeditiously as possible, complaints of any person regarding any District matter. Additional information about the process for filing a formal complaint is available in Board Policy 213.R1 and 500.2R1.
The Iowa Department of Education provides information about the general steps that may be taken by parents, guardians, and community members when they have concerns about public school districts or their governing boards. This information can be accessed at https://educateiowa.gov/pk-12/parent-guardian-and-community-concerns.
Participation in School Board Meetings
The Board of Education is elected to provide governance for the Burlington Community School District. The Board welcomes citizens to speak during time designated for Public Comments at most regularly scheduled Board meetings as described in Board Policy 213.
Members of the public who wish to have an item discussed as part of a Board Agenda may contact the Board President, Board Secretary, or Superintendent. Iowa Code also allows for members of the public to petition the Board to have a specific topic placed on the Board Agenda. Information about this process can be found at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/279.8B.pdf.