Technology Board Bill

Sponsored by LHS Student-Faculty Senate, passed on in 2014

Recently by the same author:

Revised Senate Attendance Bill

Posted by on January 18, 2015

The Student-Faculty Senate hereby establishes a Technology Board to advise the administration on matters pertaining to technology in the school and to facilitate communication between members of the administration, central office, faculty, and student body. The composition of the Technology Board will be as follows:

  1. Eight students, two from each grade, elected by ballot during the regular spring and fall elections

  2. Seven faculty members, selected in accordance with a process to be determined by their respective Department heads a. One from the science department b. One from the mathematics department c. One from the world language department d. One from the English department e. One from the history department f. One from the combined fine/performing arts departments g. One additional representative from PE/wellness department, special education department, or any other department not listed above. h. One representative from the library department i. One administrator liaison j. One Student Senator to serve as a representative of the Senate k. One Instructional Technology Specialist

The Director of Education Technology and Assessment will also be informed of and invited to all meetings, and will receive copy of all meeting notes. The Director is encouraged to attend no fewer than two meetings per year.

After elections, the Technology Board will choose one student moderator and one faculty assistant moderator, and will write a list of guidelines outlining matters which it would like to address in the coming school year. These guidelines, including a provision for regular meeting times at least once a month, will be approved by the administration before the end of the school year in which upperclassmen representatives are elected. The mission statement for the Technology Board will be as follows:

The Technology Board will discuss matters relating to technology use at Lexington High School. It will take into account the interests and the experiences of students and faculty, as well as the need to adapt to changing technology in accordance with the Lexington School Committee’s standards for acceptable use of technology in the Lexington Public Schools. As members of the Technology Board, students and teachers will have an opportunity to openly discuss technology-related matters that impact all members of the school community. The Technology Board will also conduct periodic surveys of student opinion, and will present its recommendations to the administration in the form of written notes or documents.

Rationale

  1. Since technology impacts all members of the school community, it is advantageous to foster a dialogue between students, faculty, and the administration regarding technology at LHS.

  2. The LHS Student-Faculty Senate does not always have the time to deal with matters relating to technology at LHS. A body dedicated solely to technology-related matters would be better equipped to deal with these concerns and advise the Senate on matters pertaining to technology when necessary.

  3. Students are frequent users of technology at the school, and therefore should have a direct voice in technology-related decisions at LHS.

  4. Although provisions for teachers to voice opinions surrounding technology exist, there is currently no way for teachers and students to collaboratively discuss matters relating to technology in the school.

  5. Current channels of communication between the faculty and administration (such as through department heads or PAC representatives) encourage general discussion, but do not focus specifically on technology-related matters.

  6. Since so many constituents of the school use technology, it is impossible to include a representative for every group in the school. Thus one open seat is provided in order to ensure that all relevant groups are given an opportunity to participate.

  7. The Student-Faculty Senator liaison will present technology-related matters raised in Senate to the Technology Board and relate relevant information back to the Senate.

  8. The student moderator will organize meetings, ensure that proper notes are taken, and will encourage students and faculty to openly voice their opinions.