(A) The board of education of a school district or the governing board of an educational service center shall make any rules that are necessary for its government and the government of its employees, pupils of its schools, and all other persons entering upon its school grounds or premises. Rules regarding entry of persons other than students, staff, and faculty upon school grounds or premises shall be posted conspicuously at or near the entrance to the school grounds or premises, or near the perimeter of the school grounds or premises, if there are no formal entrances, and at the main entrance to each school building.

(B)

(1) The board of education of each city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district may adopt a written policy that authorizes principals of public schools within the district or their designees to do one or both of the following:

(a) Search any pupil's locker and the contents of the locker that is searched if the principal reasonably suspects that the locker or its contents contains evidence of a pupil's violation of a criminal statute or of a school rule;

(b) Search any pupil's locker and the contents of any pupil's locker at any time if the board of education posts in a conspicuous place in each school building that has lockers available for use by pupils a notice that the lockers are the property of the board of education and that the lockers and the contents of all the lockers are subject to random search at any time without regard to whether there is a reasonable suspicion that any locker or its contents contains evidence of a violation of a criminal statute or a school rule.

(2) A board of education's adoption of or failure to adopt a written policy pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section does not prevent the principal of any school from searching at any time the locker of any pupil and the contents of any locker of any pupil in the school if an emergency situation exists or appears to exist that immediately threatens the health or safety of any person, or threatens to damage or destroy any property, under the control of the board of education and if a search of lockers and the contents of the lockers is reasonably necessary to avert that threat or apparent threat.

(C) Any employee may receive compensation and expenses for days on which he is excused, in accordance with the policy statement of the board, by the superintendent of such board or by a responsible administrative official designated by the superintendent for the purpose of attending professional meetings as defined by the board policy, and the board may provide and pay the salary of a substitute for such days. The expenses thus incurred by an employee shall be paid by the board from the appropriate fund of the school district or the educational service center governing board fund provided that statements of expenses are furnished in accordance with the policy statement of the board.

(D) Each city, local, and exempted village school district shall adopt a written policy governing the attendance of employees at professional meetings.

Effective Date: 09-29-1995.