Elizabeth Duncan, member of the Richland R-IV School District Board of Education, recently completed school board training sessions sponsored by the Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE) held at the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Missouri.
With the enactment of Senate Bill 380, "The Outstanding Schools Act of 1993," all newly elected school board members must complete at least eighteen hours and thirty minutes of orientation and training within one-year following their election.
Specific topics included in the training sessions were: Establishment of the Board and Responsibilities ; The Effective Board Members; Public School Law of Missouri including the Missouri Open Meetings and Record Law; School Policies; School Finance; Assessment of Students and the Local School District; Information about Preventing the Sexual Abuse of Children; Emergency Preparedness, Safety, and Security of Schools District Long Range Planning (CSIP).
Attendance at the sessions, along with successful completion of the pre-training requirements, fulfills the required 18.5 hours of certification training. Training is only provided by organizations that have received approval by the State Board of Education. MARE annually provides training at several locations around the state.