9311 9311Bylaws of the Board
Policies
The _________________ Board of Education considers policy development its chief function, along with appraisal of the result achieved through its policies. It is through the development and adoption of written policies that the Board shall exercise its leadership in the operation of the school system; it is through study and evaluation of reports concerning the execution of its written policies that the Board shall exercise its control over school operations.
It is the intent of the Board to develop policies and put them in writing so that they serve as guidelines and goals for the successful and efficient functioning of the public schools.
Written policies serve as guides for the discretionary action of those to whom it delegates authority and as a source of information and guidance for all persons who are interested in, and affected by, the district schools.
Changes in needs, conditions, purposes, and objectives will require revisions, deletions, and additions to the policies of present and future Boards. Thus policy development is an ongoing process.
Policy Draft Writer
The Superintendent is encouraged to submit written recommendations for new policies and for revision of existing policies as necessary for the effective operation of the public schools.
Attorney Involvement in Policy Development
The Superintendent, as the policy draft writer for the Board, shall seek the advice of counsel when, in the Superintendent's opinion or the Board's, there may be a question of legality or proper legal procedure in the development of a proposed policy.
In the development of policies, the Board will delegate the Superintendent the responsibility of seeking the advice and counsel of appropriate personnel.
The purpose of this provision is that the Board may gain the most complete and legal information possible on which to base decisions.
Policy Adoption
Adoption of new policies or changing existing policies is solely the responsibility of the Board.
Policies will, except for emergency situations, be adopted or amended after consideration at two meetings of the Board of Education. The time between Board meetings shall permit further study and also give an opportunity to interested parties to react, however, temporary approval may be granted by the Board in lieu of formal policy to meet emergency conditions or special events which will take place before formal action can be taken.
The agenda and minutes shall be marked to indicate policy matters. The formal adoption of policies shall be by majority vote of present members of the Board of Education and the action shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board of Education. Only those written statements so adopted and so recorded shall be regarded as official policy.
Policies that deal with matters of an emergency nature may be introduced at any regular or special Board meeting.
Policy Dissemination
The Superintendent is directed to establish and maintain an orderly plan for making pertinent policies of the Board known to staff members, students, and others affected by them.
The Superintendent shall arrange to disseminate to staff members all new policies that affect them and their work and shall also provide easy accessibility to an up to date policy collection for all employees of the school system and members of the Board.
The Board's policy manual shall be considered a public record and shall be open for inspection at the Board offices.
Organization and Contents of Policy Manuals
Policy manuals contain three basic types of entries - Board of Education policies, Superintendent of Schools regulations, and Board of Education bylaws:
1. Policies are guides for discretionary action by the Superintendent of Schools and staff; not all policies require administrative regulations;
2. Regulations are the Superintendent's amplifications of Board policies into specific staff actions; not all administrative regulations require policies;
3. Bylaws are rules governing Boards of Education's internal operations.
Approved policies shall be in writing and coded according to the policy codification system approved by the Board, and made part of the official policy manual maintained by the Superintendent. Policy manuals and copies of new and changed policies shall be distributed to all members of the Board of Education and school administrators, and shall be made available to the staff, students, and general public through the district website.
Adoption and/or Amendment of Board of Education Policies
Procedure for the adoption of a new policy or the amendment of existing policy shall be:
1. Upon referral to the policy committee, the committee will develop a statement of policy or change of existing policy based on the following:
a. Suggestions and requests from Board members;
b. Recommendations from the Superintendent of Schools;
c. Statutory requirements;
d. Citizen input.
2. The policy committee shall present a policy statement, or revised policy statement, with its recommendations to the Board at a regular Board meeting. No action shall be taken at this presentation meeting.
3. The Board shall act on proposed policies at regular meetings of the Board at which time amendments to the policy proposals may be made and the policies approved if the changes are not a departure from the essence of the policy proposal; if the proposed changes are major, a policy should be brought back for a second review at the next regular meeting with a further recommendation from the Board's policy committee. Proposed policy changes approved by majority vote of the Board shall take immediate effect.
4. For proposed policy statements, new or revised, because of changes or additions to Connecticut General Statutes or State Board of Education Regulations, approval may be given at the initial presentation.
Formal adoption of policies and/or amendments of policies shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board meeting. Only those written statements so adopted and recorded shall be regarded as official policies.
Reference: Robert's Rules of Order, Revised
Bylaw adopted by the Board: