The Editorial Board consists of top leadership from all publications, along with one non-voting member from each publication. Non-voting members should be in their first year on the publication staff, should not hold any leadership position on staff, and must be approved by the adviser. Non-voting members are intended to represent the voice of general staff members and ideally do not have prior close friendships with other Board members.
The Board is responsible for important decisions such as coverage of controversial topics, staff complaints or conflict, financial decisions impacting student organization fund expenses, and any issue that may impact the KHS Press program as a whole.
MEETINGS
Editorial Board members are not required to hold regularly scheduled meetings and are allowed to meet on an as-needed basis. Meetings may be requested by a student leader, any member of staff, the adviser or campus administration.
A quorum of 75% (excluding the adviser) must be met in order for any decisions to be made. Minutes must be kept and submitted to the adviser within one school day after the meeting.
The Editorial Board will meet regarding:
Content Decisions
Timing
Regarding content decisions, the Editorial Board is required to meet:
- Within one day of request if an urgent decision is required
- Within three days of request otherwise
Location
The Board may choose to meet in-person or virtually.
Attendees
- Board members
- Non-voting members
- Adviser if requested by the Board or at the adviser’s discretion
- If a staff member who is not a Board member requests the meeting, that staff member should be invited to the meeting but is not required to attend
Regarding anonymity
If it is determined that use of an anonymous source is appropriate, a minimum of two board members are required to know who the source is and what their qualifications are regarding the topic. The adviser should not be given the name of the source or any identifying information, as she can be compelled to release any information requested by her supervisors. Likewise, this information should not be included in meeting minutes and the adviser should be dismissed from the meeting if identifying information needs to be revealed.
Financial Decisions
Timing
Regarding financial decisions, the Board is required to meet:
- Within three days if an urgent decision is required
- Within one week otherwise
Location
The Board may choose to meet in-person or virtually.
Attendees
- Board members
- Non-voting members
- Adviser
- If a staff member who is not a Board member requests the meeting, that staff member should be invited to the meeting but is not required to attend
Staff Member Requests
Purpose
Any staff member or editor may request a meeting with the Board if:
- By a staff member, regarding conflict with an editor
- By an editor, regarding ongoing conflict with staff member
- By an editor, regarding ongoing conflict between two staff members
Timing
At the request of a staff member, the Board will meet:
- Within one week of the staff member’s request
- Within one day if deemed necessary by the adviser
Attendees
- Board members
- Non-voting members if deemed appropriate by the adviser
- Adviser
- Staff member requesting meeting
- Others listed below in specific circumstances
Location
- Meetings requested by a staff member must be held in person and the staff member must be present.
- Unless requested otherwise by the staff member, the adviser will be present and involved in the meeting.
Procedure regarding conflict
- Meeting #1: The staff member and Board members are required to attend. If the editor in question is a Board member, they will excuse themselves entirely from the first meeting. Quorum is 75% of the remaining Board members.
- Mediation: The Board may choose to mediate, or find an agreed upon mediator, to resolve any conflict. Mediation should be considered prior to consequences. If mediation is agreed upon as the best course of action, the Board will assign one of its members to coordinate mediation. If mediation is bypassed, a second meeting is required within one week. If mediation fails, a second meeting is required within two weeks when requested by the mediation coordinator.
- Meeting #2: The Board must hold a second meeting with both the staff member and the editor prior to making a final decision or recommendation to the adviser that involves consequences for either party.
- Closed session: The Board may elect to hold a closed session during the meeting, in which either the parties involved or the Board relocates while the Board discusses the issue.
- Appeal: If any party believes the resolution to be incorrect or inappropriate to the issue, they may present their case to the Board, the adviser, and a school administrator at an appeal meeting. This meeting will be scheduled within one week of the request, if an administrator is available within that time frame. Otherwise, it will be scheduled at the earliest possible convenience of an administrator.
Staff Discipline & Dismissal
Purpose
The Board will meet regarding any ongoing violations of staff agreements or failure to meet established expectations by staff members, whether those violations involve leadership or general staff.
Timing
- Within one week of request
Attendees
- Board members, excluding any members who are accused of violating staff agreements or failing to meet established expectations
- Adviser
- If the issue is presented by a staff member who is not a Board member, the staff member may request to either present an issue directly to the Board or to submit documentation in advance of the meeting. This staff member may request anonymity if requesting through the adviser but must be aware of the limitations such anonymity can place on proceedings
Location
Meetings regarding discipline and dismissal must be held in person.
Regarding Dismissal
- Documentation
- Board members must acquire and maintain documentation of any issues that could reasonably lead to disciplinary consequences or dismissal from staff.
- No decisions will be made based on gossip or hearsay.
- Written warnings
- Board members must deliver two written warnings to staff members prior to discussing the possibility of dismissal from the program.
- Warnings must be for separate issues or violations
- Warnings for violations must not be based on personal opinions or be frivolous or petty in nature
- Warnings must be sent via email to the staff member’s Gmail account with the subject “Notice of written warning from the Editorial Board” within one day of minutes being submitted to the adviser but not before the minutes are submitted.
- Dismissal
- Although the Board may recommend the dismissal of a staff member, the adviser makes the final decision.
- The adviser is responsible for notifying any dismissed staff member.
- Specific circumstances for dismissal
- The Board will not meet to discuss any dismissals due to any issues that cannot be disclosed to Board members by the adviser. These decisions will be made by the adviser, who may request input from campus administration.
- Any student who may be dismissed from staff by the Board is entitled to:
- Two written warnings from the Board or the adviser prior to recommendation for dismissal
- An explanation of the decision for dismissal, in writing
- An opportunity to appeal the decision in front of the Board, the adviser, and a member of campus administration
Other Issues
For any other meeting requests, the Board will meet within two weeks of the request. The Board may meet online or in-person. Non-voting members are expected to attend unless otherwise notified by the adviser.