1. EDUCATIONAL POLICIES Alyssa Martin, NDSBA Director of Policy Services Annette Bendish, NDSBA Legal Counsel

2. Agenda  NDSBA Policy Services and Legal Services Programs  General Policy Writing Guidelines  Top Five Essential Policies  Question and Answer

3. Policy Services and Legal Services  Policy Services  $250 annually  Includes 10 sample policies  Access to online newsletter (monthly)  Up to two policy reviews  Access to additional policy services  Legal Services  Included with NDSBA dues

4. Policy writing strategies  Writing strategies  Is any of the language unclear or conflicting?  Is the policy clear on who is responsible for implementation and the process for carrying out the policy?  Does the policy leave room for delegation where appropriate?  Avoid belief, value, and promise statements  Does policy title reflect content? Are you making effective use of headings?  Is there only one policy governing the matter?

5. Policy writing strategies, cont.  Writing strategies  Don’t place law in policy  Details and instruction guides are for handbooks, not the board’s policy manual  Ensure someone is updating handbooks to reflect changes to policies  Ensure you have a good coding system  Be careful about when you change policy  Keep it simple  Have a policy on policy  Adoption procedure  How to resolve conflicts in policy manual

6. Top Five Policies (for administrators)  Employee Conduct Policy  Keep it broad and simple Since the realization of district goals is dependent upon the professional behavior of all staff, the following specific responsibil­ities will be required:  To conduct oneself professionally whenever serving in his/her official capacity as a school district employee.  Faithfulness and promptness in attendance at work.  Support and enforcement of policies of the Board and regulations of the school administration.  Diligence in submitting required reports at the time specified.  Care and protection of school property.  Concern and attention for their own and the school system's legal responsibility for the safety and welfare of students, including the need to ensure that students are under proper supervision at all times.

7. Top Five Policies (for administrators)  Licensed Staff Licensed staff shall adhere to professional conduct standards developed by the Education Standards and Practices Board and, in the case of school administrators, the Administrator’s Professional Practices Board.  Only create additional conduct policies as required by law (e.g., Drug Free Workplace) or based on local need (e.g., Staff-Student Relations)

8. Top Five Policies (for administrators)  Student Conduct Policy  Governed by law: NDCC 15.1-19-02 (Annette)  Ensure policy addresses general conduct standards, disciplinary standards, discipline delegation, prohibited disciplinary action  Place specific disciplinary investigation and response procedures in administrative rules  Address special education students separately  Again, keep the language simple and broad  Address suspension and expulsion hearing procedure (typically in separate policy), NDCC 15.1-19-09  Only create additional conduct policies as required by law (e.g., Bullying) or based on local need (e.g., Hazing)

9. Top Five Policies (for administrators)  Extracurricular Participation Policy  A privilege not a right (Annette)  Allows for higher expectations than contained in general student conduct policies (may address off campus conduct—with limits)  Guilt by Association  Criminal Activity?  Grades  Suspension—not the same level of due process, can be carried over to the next school year  Dress codes  Summer conduct  Can apply to more than NDHSAA activities  Be careful to distinguish between curricular and extracurricular activities

10. Top Five Policies (for administrators)  Complaints about Personnel  Most requested NDSBA policy  Protects teacher due process rights  Protects board from libel and slander  Covers staff-on-staff complaints, student-on- staff complaints, and public- staff complaints  Essential for all administrators and board members to understand the chain of command contained in this policy and be able to effectively communicate it and comply  We also recommend training on investigating such complaints

11. Top Five Policies (for administrators)  Complaints about Curricular Material  School board (or the state) may not totally remove a topic of study just because it is controversial or because people may dislike the ideas contained therein  Consideration criteria  Appropriate given the students‘ age, maturity, or sophistication,  Professionally accepted,  Consistent with general curriculum objectives, and  Current  Parents do not have a fundamental right generally to direct how a public school teaches their child.

12. Question and Answer