NORWICH – A new administrative guideline that would require Norwich’s school board members to have the superintendent’s permission before visiting classrooms has some members up in arms.

Current protocol requires board members to obtain the approval of the full board prior to visiting school buildings. These restrictions apply only to activities other community members and/parents would not be allowed to do, such as visiting classrooms during the school day without prior permission. It does not limit board members from attending school activities, such as concerts or athletic events, or from stopping into the school office.

According to Board President Bob Patterson, the intent of the new policy is “to streamline the process and turn that authority from [the board] over to the superintendent.”

The move is a relaxation of the existing guidelines, “loosening up the rules and making it more fluid,” he explained at last week’s meeting of the Norwich City School District Board of Education. “If there is ever a conflict or question, it always comes back to the board.”

Rather than waiting for the next board meeting, those who would like to visit one of the buildings will contact the superintendent for permission. The district’s top administrator will then check with the building’s principal before granting approval.

According to Patterson, the proposed policy is actually “looser” than the one the New York State School Board Association recommends.