Manual Organization and Navigation
The Education Reform Act of 1993 defined Policy Making as one of the fundamental responsibilities of School Committees. Among other things the purposes of policies include:
Providing consistency in dealing with day-to-day issues.
Delineating the procedures under which the school committee will govern itself.
Clarifying the relationship between the superintendent and the school committee.
Specifying guidelines under which the staff is to operate.
Recording the solution of a problem, so that it need not be constantly reconsidered.
Allowing for continuity.
Enabling the community to better understand how the school committee operates.
This manual contains the Policies adopted by the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School Committee and many of the Procedures (Regulations) under which those policies are implemented.
How the Manual Is Organized:
The manual is organized in accordance with the classification system originally developed by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) using the National Education Policy Network (NEPN) Policy Coding System. (NEPN Coding System and Index © National School Boards Association – Use rights granted by MASC) The Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) clarifies the system. This system provides an efficient means of coding, filing, and finding policies and other documents. There are 12 major classifications, each assigned an alphabetical code; optionally followed by inserts (i.e. District Agreement, Handbooks, Contracts, etc.).
A - Foundations and Basic Commitments
B - School Committee Governance and Operations
C - General School Administration
D - Fiscal Management
E - Support Services
F - Facilities Development
G - Personnel
H - Negotiations
I - Instruction
J - Students
K - School-Community Relations (public relations)
L - Relations With Other Educational Agencies
How to Find a Policy:
Consider where the policy statement (or regulation) would be filed among the 12 major classifications. Look at the table of contents for that section and glance down the listing until you find the term that most closely fits the topic you are seeking. You can also use the Index for this manual or the comprehensive NEPN index at the end of this manual. Use the code letters given for that term to locate the policy you need. The policies are arranged in alphabetical order by code within the section.
What if you find the term and code, but there is no policy or regulation for your particular search? This probably means that the District has no written policy or important regulations in that particular area. The School Committee only adopts polices that it considers relevant to its operations and necessary to ensure the effective conduct of those operations.
Using the Signs and Symbols
Various signs and symbols are used in connection with the classification system. They are for your use in locating and/or in examining policies. Included are the following:
Also: Certain policies bear two codes in the upper right hand corner. The second is preceded by 'Also'. This means that the identical policy (or regulation) is filed under both codes.
-R This symbol following a code indicates that the statement is a regulation, not a Committee policy. Regulations are usually not approved by the Committee but may be if covering a controversial topic or has special significance to the Committee. The statement appears with a yellow border.
-E Exhibit. This symbol following a code indicates that the statement is a reference document such as a calendar, application form, etc., rather than a policy. Exhibits (information items that are neither Policy nor Regulation) are generally not approved by the committee. Such statements have a green border.
DATES: First & Second Reading, the original date of adoption/issuance, reviewed and revision dates appear as a footnote at the end of each policy, exhibit or regulation.
SOURCE: If a significant portion of text is taken from another document (i.e. MASC sample policies), appropriate recognition will be made.
LEGAL REF: Pertinent legal references are given to inform the reader where in state law, or other regulation one may find the statutes that relate to a specific policy. Unless otherwise noted, all references direct the reader to the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (cited as M.G.L., Chapter and section).
CONTRACT REF: Agreements reached through negotiations with recognized staff organizations have the full force of Committee policy. References to negotiated agreements may be provided, as appropriate, to direct the reader to statements in these agreements.
CROSS REF: Certain policies and regulations relate to others. Cross-references are provided following many statements to help the reader find all of the related information needed.
About Policies and Regulations
Generally, the role of a School Committee is to set policy and the role of the administration is to implement it through regulations. Written policies are the chief means by which a School Committee governs the schools, and regulations are one of the means by which the committee's policies are implemented. The following definitions provide a distinction between these two types of statements:
POLICIES are principles adopted by the School Committee to chart a course of action. They are broad enough to indicate a line of action to be taken by the administration in meeting a number of day-to-day problems while being narrow enough to give the administration clear guidance.
REGULATIONS are detailed directions usually developed by the administration to put policy into practice. Generally the Committee will not officially approve procedures except as required by state law or in cases when strong community attitudes, or possible student or staff reaction, make it necessary or advisable for a regulation to have the Committee's advance approval.
It is the intermingling of policy and regulation in law, in contracts, and in adopted statements of the school committee that can cause confusion. Sometimes they are not easily separated. Therefore, the separation of policies and regulations in this manual follows several "rules of thumb" in addition to basic theory:
When law establishes the school system’s practice in a particular area, any informational statement covering the practice is presented as "policy."
When a school system's practice in a particular area has been established through a negotiated agreement, any statement pertaining to that practice is presented as "policy."
Where the school committee has interwoven regulations with policy and where separation would interfere with their meaning, the entire statement is presented as a policy.
Where the school committee has adopted rules and bylaws concerning its own organizational and operating procedures, these statements appear as policy.
As long as the administration operates within the guidelines of policy adopted by the committee, it may issue regulations without prior committee approval, unless law requires committee action, or unless the committee has specifically asked that certain types of regulations be submitted for committee approval. The school committee is to be informed of all school system regulations issued by the administration. All such regulations are subject to committee review.
Policy Classification Definitions:
(See the NEPN Coding System and Index at the end of this manual for a comprehensive list of codes and an index to the codes)
A Foundations and Basic Commitments
Section A of the policy classification system is a repository for statements related to the district's legal role in providing public education and the underlying principles on which the district operates. The policies in this section provide a setting for all of the School Committee's other policies.
B School Committee Governance and Operations
Section B of the policy classification system is a repository for statements about the school committee --- how it is elected, organized; how it conducts its meetings and operates. This section includes policies establishing the School Committee's internal operating procedures.
C General School Administration
Section C of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements about the school district management, the administrative structure, school building and department administration. It also is the location for personnel policies that pertain to one individual -- the Superintendent.
D Fiscal Management
Section D of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements concerning district fiscal affairs and the management of district funds. Statements relating to the financing of school construction, however, are filed in the F (Facilities Development) section.
E Support Services
Section E of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements on non-instructional services and programs, including most of those that fall in the area of business management such as safety, buildings and management (not construction), transportation, food services.
F Facilities Development
Section F of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements on school construction, remodeling and modernizing, temporary facilities, and facilities retirement plans.
G Personnel
Section G of the policy classification system provides a repository for personnel policies. This section has three main subdivisions:
Sub-section GB presents policy topics that pertain to all employees;
Sub-section GC is for policies that pertain to professional personnel who must hold certification by the state to serve in their positions;
Sub-section GD is for policies pertaining to support, or non-certificated, personnel.
H Negotiations
Section H of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements pertaining to the process of negotiating with staff units recognized by the School Committee and authorized under state law.
I Instruction
Section I of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements on the instructional program: basic programs, special programs, activities programs, instructional resources, and academic achievement.
J Students
Section J of the policy classification system provides a repository for statements concerning students -- admissions, attendance, rights and responsibilities, conduct, discipline, health and welfare services. However, all policies pertaining to the instruction of students, and extracurricular programs and the curriculum are filed in Section I: Instruction.
K Community Relations
Section K of the policy classification system contains policies, regulations, and exhibits on parent and community involvement in schools. Except for policies concerning education agencies, statements on public sector relations with the school district also are located in this section.
L Education and Agency Relations
Section L of the policy classification system contains policies, regulations, and exhibits on the school district's relationship with other education agencies – including other school systems, regional or service districts, private schools, colleges and universities, education research organizations, and state and national education agencies.