September Adviser

What would you do if your superintendent is caught in an embarrassing situation?

A high school student, upset about having Latin classes cut from the elective offerings because of budget constraints, called the superintendent at his home to complain. The superintendent's number was in the phone book. His wife answered and angrily berated the student when he mentioned his complaint. The student recorded her comments and put them on YouTube, causing a stir in the schools and the community. The high school principal suggested disciplining the student, but the superintendent wanted to downplay the incident. What should the school board do?

	The board should do nothing--it doesn't concern the members.
	The board should recommend counseling for the superintendent's wife.
	The board should suspend the student if he violated the district's Internet policy.

Advice for the asking: Would you like to comment in more detail about this topic or are you plagued with your own prickly problem of school board service or school governance? Send a message to ASBJ’s cadre of consultants, known collectively as the Adviser. We’ll change the names of persons and places. Then, we’ll describe the problem and its suggested solution for our readers.

The Adviser does not represent official policy of the National School Boards Association; nor should it be construed as legal advice.