JCBE/POLICY FILE: 143
Approved: 11/21/72
Revised: 10/23/79
Revised: 1/26/84
ROLE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN THE FORMULATION OF POLICIES
Because the Board and its superintendent have lawful responsibility for policy development, written Board the administration and supervision of the Jefferson County School System (CODE OF ALABAMA, 16-8-10 and 16-9-15).
Policies shall be general principles adopted by the Board to chart a course of action in its supervision of the school system. They shall serve as general guides for action by the administration, which then sets rules and regulations to provide specific directions to school district personnel.
All administrative rules and regulations must derive from an authority granted in Board-approved policy. Any rule which uniformly affects the property rights of employees or students is policy, and therefore must be approved by the Board.
All policies adopted by the Board shall be recorded in the official Board minutes. The Board adopts the policy codification system of the Education Service Bureau Inc. (modified).
Adoption of new policies and revisions of existing policies are solely the responsibility of the Board. It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent or the superintendent's designee to report the concerns of interested groups regarding policy recommendations to the Board.
The superintendent shall seek the counsel of the Board attorney when, in the opinion of the superintendent or the Board, there may be a question of legality or proper legal procedure in the development of a proposed policy.
Definitions of Terms Commonly Used in a Board Manual
1. Bylaws - Bylaws are formulated and adopted by the Board to govern its internal organization and operation.
2. Policy - A policy is a principle formulated and adopted by the Board to provide a guideline within which to operate. A policy statement should be broad enough to indicate a line of action to be taken, yet narrow enough to give clear guidance. A policy tells at least two things:
a. What is wanted by the Board.
b. Why the Board wants it.
3. Procedures - Procedures are steps developed by the school administration to achieve the desired policy of the Board. Procedures tell the following:
a. How the policy is to be achieved.
b. By whom this is to be done.
c. When they are to do it.
d. Where it is to be done.
4. Regulation - A regulation is a statement which is short, to the point, and concerned with one specific action or behavior.
Method for Adoption of Policy
1. Policy suggestions are submitted to the superintendent for study, research, discussions with concerned groups, and referral to the policy writer.
2. A proposed policy is developed in a form consistent with other policies and is resubmitted to the superintendent for presentation to and consideration of the Board.
3. The Board in its consideration may accept and adopt, request more information, suggest additions or deletions, or refer the policy back to the superintendent.
4. Upon referral back to the superintendent, the proposed policy is rewritten to incorporate the wishes of the Board.
5. This procedure is repeated until the Board is satisfied with the proposal, formally adopts it as policy, and the policy is incorporated in the official minutes.
6. The Board expects and encourages representative participation in the development of proposed policies for the school system. The superintendent is authorized to establish committees to develop and recommend proposed policies for consideration. These committees may include representatives from the following groups: central staff, certificated personnel, classified personnel, employee organizations and parents (CODE OF ALABAMA, 16-8-10). Committee recommendations shall be submitted to the Director of Policy and Contractual Services.