Barbara Warren member of the Richland R-IV School District Board of Education, recently completed school board training sessions sponsored by the Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE) held in Bolivar, Missouri.

With the enactment of Senate Bill 380, " The Outstanding Schools Act of 1993," all newly elected/appointed school board members must complete at least 18 hours and thirty minutes of orientation and training within one year following their appointment.

Specific topics included in the training sessions were: Establishment of the Board and Responsibilities; The Effective School Board Member; Public School Laws of Missouri; School Finance; Assessment of students and the local school district; Identifying Signs of Sexual Abuse in Children, danger Signals of Potentially Abusive Relationships between Adults and Children and District Long Range Planning.

Attendance at the sessions, along with the successful completion of the pre-training requirement, fulfills the required 18.5 hours of certification training.  Training is only provided by organizations that have received approval by the State Board of Education.