Board of Education By-Laws
Article 18

Policies
References

1. Adoption of new policies or the revision or repeal of existing policies is solely the responsibility of the Board of Education.
   
   
2. The Board shall adhere to the following procedure in considering, adopting or revising policy proposals to ensure that they are well-examined before final action:
   
   
   
   1. Information/Discussion – the proposed policy or policy revision shall be presented as an information/discussion item. The public may offer comments at this time or submit comments in writing prior to Board action. The proposed policy may be continued on subsequent agendas for discussion until the Board and Superintendent determine that it is ready to be formally read for action.
      
      
   2. Action/Vote – The Board shall vote on the proposed policy or policy revision at the next regularly scheduled meeting following the meeting in which the proposed policy or policy revision was discussed except, by a vote of the Board, action may be postponed until a specified date.
   
   
   
3. Board members may propose amendments at any of the procedural steps, except that the Policy must be removed from the consent agenda before such amendment may be made.
   
   
4. Under unusual circumstances, the Board of Education may temporarily approve a policy to meet emergency conditions. However, the procedure in paragraph B shall be required before the policy shall be considered permanent.
   
   
5. The Board may waive policies to facilitate attainment of school-level or District level goals. Requests for school waivers are to be submitted by the Principal with the recommendation of the Superintendent. The Superintendent may initiate waivers for District level goals.
   
   
6. In cases when action must be taken and the Board of Education has provided no guides in policy for such action, the Superintendent shall have the power to act. The Superintendent’s decisions, however, shall be subject to review by the Board at the next regular meeting. The Superintendent shall inform the Board promptly of such action and of the need for policy.
   
   
7. In the event of special circumstances, the operation of any section or sections of Board By-laws or policies may be temporarily suspended by a majority vote of Board Members present at any regular or special meeting. This provision does not apply to any By-law or policy that is established by law or by contract.
   
   
8. The Board shall review policies on a continuing basis to assure they are kept up-to-date and that they may be used consistently as a basis for Board action or administrative decisions.
   
   
9. True and correct copies of all Board of Education By-laws and District Policies adopted by the Board of Education shall be available at the District office for public inspection during regular office hours. Complete sets of the policies shall be issued to each Board Member, the Secretary to the Board, the Superintendent and each Principal. Policies shall be accessible to staff and the public on the District’s official website.