The Board of Education is vitally interested in maintaining effective communication with parents, members of the community, vendors, and others who have dealings with the District. The Board realizes that although advances in technology provide the possibility of enhancing communications some innovations can also inhibit effective contact between the public and District personnel.

It shall be the policy of the Board that, barring unforeseen circumstances, incoming calls during regular school hours to the central office and to each school and operations office be answered by a District staff member or volunteer. This will enable each caller's concern to be dealt with in an expeditious manner.

If, under certain rare circumstances it is not possible for a staff member or volunteer to be available to answer a telephone call to a main office number, a computer message may be substituted provided the message instructs the caller how to access a District employee who can take some type of action in response to the caller's need.

Telephone calls to extension numbers within the District may be answered by voice mail provided the caller is provided the alternative of dialing 0 and talking to a staff member or volunteer.

The telephone system should operate in such a way that a caller is able to talk directly to someone who can be of assistance to the caller. Lack of effective telephone contact could be critical.