Policy Related Adovcacy

RESOLUTIONS: Board Resolutions are formal expressions of a board's position, intention, or decision on a specific matter. Resolutions may be passed to create an official statement in support of a cause or to address a particular issue, to commemorate an event, to establish committees, or to declare or authorize administrative actions. Resolutions do not typically establish long-term guidelines like policies, and are usually more temporary than policies. Resolutions are often voted upon by the board after a presentation or discussion; however, sometimes resolutions are on the consent agenda and do need to be discussed. Resolutions are usually addressed in one meeting, and are in the minutes. 

BOARD POLICY (BP): Board policies are formal documents that establish the guiding principles and rules for the operation and governance of the school district. Policies are typically broad statements that outline the board's position, intent, and expectations regarding various aspects of the district's operations, procedures, and educational goals. They serve as a framework for decision-making and provide consistency and direction for the community. Board policies are usually developed through a deliberative process involving board members, administrators, and stakeholders, and they often require board approval to be adopted or modified. They can take multiple meetings to get passed as they often require readings and multiple discussions. 

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION (AR): Administrative regulations, sometimes referred to as administrative procedures, are detailed guidelines and instructions developed by administrators to implement board policies or state laws. These regulations provide specific procedures, processes, and requirements for various operational areas within the organization. Unlike policies and resolutions, administrative regulations are more granular and operational in nature, providing step-by-step instructions and clarifications on how policies should be implemented. They are typically developed by administrators in collaboration with relevant constituents and are subject to board oversight and approval in some cases. Typically, a board would not pass an administrative regulation without an underlying policy in place, as the administrative regulations serve as a means to operationalize and put into practice the policies established by the board.

• CA School Board Policy - Overview and Resources for Environmental and Climate Themed Policy Actions: This document provides an overview of the function of school boards and provides examples of environmental and climate themed actions. 

• Overview to Youth-Led Solutionary School Board Policy Advocacy Campaigns for Environmental and Climate Action in California’s TK-12 Schools: This document provides an overview to Youth-Led School Board Advocacy Campaigns for Environmental and Climate Action in California’s TK-12 Schools (and can be applied to other states and local contexts).

  • • Youth Led Policy Campaign Examples: This document is a gallery walk of stories of youth led policy campaigns in California and beyond. 

• CYCP Resources Catalog for Environmental and Climate Themed School Board Policy Advocacy Campaigns: The purpose of this document is to provide youth/student leaders with resources and activities that they can use to lead robust solutionary advocacy campaigns for passing environmental and climate action themed board policies in TK-12 school communities. The resources have been designed for use in the CYCP Leadership Program, but can also be used by any youth leaders. 

• Schools for Climate Action: This website support the efforts of a grassroots, volunteer group of students, parents, teachers, and community members working with school communities and school districts to take a stand against climate change. Check out their STUDENT GUIDE FOR GETTING A BOARD TO PASS A RESOLUTION

• Climate Generation: Climate Commitments - School Board Resolution Toolkit

• CA School Board Association: This website has a number of resources for supporting school boards including governance and policy resources.  

• Congressional Resolution Example: Congressional Resolution Recognizing Children's Fundamental Rights and Climate Recovery  - this resolution recognizes that our current climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children and youth. 

A Declaration of Climate Emergency is a piece of legislation passed by a governing body such as a city council, a county board of supervisors, a state legislature, or even a national government. It puts the government on record in support of taking emergency action to reverse global warming. 

Resolutions vary around the world, with many governments including local climate impacts and new climate targets in their resolution.  

As of August 2023, the Climate Emergency Movement 's data shows that nearly 15% of the both the U.S. and Global Population live in a jurisdiction that has declared a climate emergency. 

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors - September 2019: The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution declaring a climate emergency in San Mateo County to highlight the increasingly urgent need for action to address the climate crisis. at that time they joined over 1,000 national, international and local jurisdictions who did the same.

San Mateo County Youth Commission - April 2020: The San Mateo County Youth Commission passed a resolution for a Climate Emergency Declaration. The intention of this first resolution was to serve as an inspiration for school communities to follow suit and pass similar declarations. 

• Climate Emergency Declaration Template (student version): This is a template for students groups that want to issue a Climate Emergency Declaration through the associated student body council.

• Climate Emergency Declaration Petition Template: This is a template for a student petition calling for the passage of a Climate Emergency Declaration. 

• The Climate Mobilization: The goal of this U.S. based organization is to initiate a WWII-scale mobilization to reverse global warming and the mass extinction of species in order to protect humanity and the natural world from climate catastrophe. They have sample templates. 

• Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilization: The goal of this global organization is to support governments (and other jurisdictions) to declare a climate emergency and mobilize society-wide resources at sufficient scale and speed to protect civilization, the economy, people, species, and ecosystems. They also have sample templates and policy.