The initial draft of the guidelines included a section on small appliances that began, “No personal appliances, such as refrigerators, microwaves, coffee pots, floor heaters, etc., are allowed in individual office areas or classrooms.” The guidelines also stated that schools would create common areas where the appliances would be kept.
That section of the guidelines had been struck in the version that the board reviewed on Tuesday. Instead, the revised guidelines stated that, “Refrigerators, microwaves, and coffee pots should be in convenient central locations that are accessible to employees in identified work locations and not in classrooms and/or offices for individual use.”
The revised guidelines also stated that where there is no room for common areas, a classroom could serve as a common area; that employees who needed a refrigerator because of a medical issue could apply to have one through the school district’s energy manager; and that school staff will work with the district’s energy manager to determine where common areas would be located.
The school district has been working this spring on formulating energy guidelines to assist a districtwide energy conservation effort to save money and help the environment.
At the June 24 meeting, several teachers said a ban on small appliances in classrooms would make it more difficult for them to teach students in between classes, during lunch and snack time, and before and after school, because they’d have to take time to collect their food from a lounge or other common areas rather than from their classroom.
