Policy 213 - Development, Adoption, and Implementation of Policies

The purpose of this policy is to emphasize the importance of the policy-making role of the School Board and provide the means for it to continue to be an ongoing effort.

Formal guidelines are necessary to ensure the school community that the school system responds to its mission and operates in an effective, efficient, and consistent manner. A set of written policy statements shall be maintained and modified as needed. Policies should define the desire and intent of the School Board and should be in a form which is sufficiently explicit to guide administrative action.

A. In an effort to keep its written policies current so that they may be used consistently as a basis for Board action and administration decision, the Board will conduct a general review of its policies on a four year cycle (shown below). Some policies may undergo annual review as directed by Minnesota statute.

B. The Superintendent shall call to the Board’s attention all policies that need revision for any reason.

C. Policies are living documents, and as such, may undergo updates and changes at any time, outside of the regularly scheduled cycle.

A. Adoption of new policies or the amendment or repeal of existing policies is solely the responsibility of the School Board.

B. The Board will adhere to the following procedure in amending or adopting policies to ensure that they are well examined before final action:

1. First meeting--the policy shall be presented for a first reading. If the Board feels that the policy has been sufficiently vetted through appropriate stakeholders and is comfortable with the policy, the Board may vote to approve the policy upon first reading. If any member of the Board feels the policy requires more discussion, the policy may be moved to a Work Session for group discussion. A policy may also be removed from the first meeting if a Board member wishes to have more time to consider the policy before approval.
    
2. Work Session--the policy shall be discussed and modified as may be appropriate.
    
3. Second meeting--the policy shall be presented for a second reading, discussed and voted upon.

C. Under unusual circumstances, the Board may temporarily approve a policy to meet emergency conditions; however, the above procedure is required before the policy will be considered permanent.

D. Under unusual circumstances, the Board may temporarily approve a policy to meet emergency conditions; however, the above procedure is required before the policy will be considered permanent.

A. The Superintendent is directed to establish and maintain an orderly plan for preserving and making accessible the policies adopted by the Board.

B. Accessibility is to extend to all employees of the school system, to members of the Board and, insofar as possible, to all persons in the district. A policy concerning a particular group or groups in the schools will be distributed to those groups prior tothe policy's effective date.

C. The Board Policy Manual will be considered a public record and will be open for inspection at the district administrative office and on the district website.

A. The Superintendent typically has School Board policy to guide the decision-making process. However, situations may arise that are not covered by existing policies.

B. The Superintendent shall have the authority to take such immediate emergency steps as deemed necessary to ensure the physical and educational well-being of the students in the district. The Superintendent shall also have full authority to take such steps deemed necessary to ensure and protect the physical well-being of all employees in the district, as well as all properties owned by the district. The Superintendent will have full authority to open and close buildings as a part of responding to emergencies.

C. During an emergency, only the Superintendent or Superintendent’s designee, unless otherwise specified by the School Board, may make public statements, issue news releases, make statements to employees, and make statements to parents and the general public on behalf of the district.

D. Where circumstances require significant administrative action in the absence of Board policy guidelines or legal direction, action shall be taken according to the Superintendent's best judgment.

E. It is the responsibility of the Superintendent to inform the Board promptly of such action and the need for related policy.

The operation of any section or sections of these policies, not established by law, may be temporarily suspended by a majority vote of the School Board at a regular or special meeting.

A. The Board delegates to the Superintendent the responsibility for developing and implementing administrative regulations and procedures as may be necessary to carry out Board policies. The Board will review the regulations in a timely manner. The regulations, like policies, are living documents and as such may undergo changes at the discretion of the administration.

• Minn. Stat. § 123B.02, Subd. 1 (School District Powers)
• Minn. Stat. § 123B.09, Subd. 1 (School Board Powers)

• Adopted: November 13, 2017
• Amended: March 14, 2022
• Last Reviewed: March 14, 2022