Regulation BDC-R(1): Policy Adoption

This regulation is in accordance with Policy BDC: Policy Adoption. This regulation will provide a uniformed procedure for the adoption of Board Policies and to allow fro revision of policies due to legal updates, changes in State Board of Education Rules, and to correct clerical errors, as necessary.

MANAGEMENT

The Office of the Board of Education will develop and adopt all proposed or revised Board policies, administrative regulations, and exhibits.

The Office of Legal Affairs will review and facilitate any necessary legal counsel review of all proposed or revised Board policies, administrative regulations, and exhibits.

Each Chief Officer, or Chief's Designee, will ensure that all Board policies, administrative regulations, and exhibits related to their area of responsibility effectively support the Board's mission, vision, core beliefs & commitments, policies, and strategic direction.

The Office of the Board of Education will maintain the official Board Policy Manual, the District Administrative Regulations Manual, and the District Board Policy Exhibits Manual.

The Board Policy Manual will be accessible by employees and members of the public.

The District Administrative Regulations Manual and the District Board Policy Exhibits Manual will be a primary resource for identified employees, as necessary and appropriate.

PROCESS FOR INITIATING, DEVELOPING/DRAFTING, REVISING, AND ADOPTING A BOARD POLICY

Suggestions for the development of any new Board policy, or the revision of any existing Board policy may originate with any member of the Board of Education ("Board"), the Superintendent, any district staff member, or any member of the public.

The Chair of the Board of Education, the Superintendent, or designee, will initiate action to draft any new Board policy or revise any existing Board policy for the full Board's review.

The appropriate Chief Officer, or Chief's Designee, in concert with the Superintendent will research and draft, or revise a specific Board policy proposal for the Board's review and input.

The Office of the Board of Education Committee will submit the proposed or revised Board policy draft to the Board of Education for review and input. Board members will submit comments and proposed revisions (same deadline as public comments) by submitting those comments and/or proposed revisions to the Executive Director of Board Operations in advance of the Board meeting at which the vote for action is scheduled to be taken.

First Public Reading of the Proposed or Revised Policy

The Board will have an approximately fourteen calendar-day window, immediately following the proposed or revised policy's First Public Reading, in which to submit suggested revisions to the Superintendent, or designee.

The Superintendent, or designee, will forward the Board's comments or suggested revisions to the appropriate Chief Officer, or Chief's Designee for consideration.

All public comments received and/or suggested revisions to the proposed or revised Board policy will be forwarded to the Board Office, appropriate Chief Officer, or Chief's Designee for review.

If any subsequent drafts of the proposed or revised Board policy are developed, the Office of Legal Affairs will review and facilitate any necessary outside legal counsel review of the proposed or revised Board policy's subsequent drafts.

Ready for Action of the Propsed or Revised Policy

At an official meeting of the Board of Education held after the proposed or revised Board policy's First Public Reading, the Superintendent, or a designee, will present a final draft of the proposed or revised Board policy, including an index of any received public comments and/or suggested revisions, to the Board for a Second Public Reading.

At the Subsequent Public Reading of a proposed or revised Board policy, the Board will take official action on the proposed or revised Board policy.

If the Board approves the proposed or revised Board policy, the policy will immediately become an adopted Board Policy, with an effective date one (1) day following the Board's approval, unless an alternate effective date is specified by the Board. Within two (2) workdays, following the Board's adoption of the policy, the Office of the Board of Education will facilitate posting the newly adopted Board policy to the official Board Policy Manual. All new and revised policies adopted by the Board will be attached to and made a part of the minutes of the meeting at the time they were adopted. Only those new and revised policies adopted and recorded will be regarded as official Board policy.

If the Board does not adopt the proposed or revised Board policy, the policy will not be adopted. The policy may be returned to the Superintendent, or a designee, for either further development/refinement with re-presentation to the Board for action at a subsequent official Board Meeting or abandonment.

PROCESS FOR INITIATING, DEVELOPING/DRAFTING, REVISING AND APPROVING AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION

The Superintendent, or a designee, will develop and/or revise administrative regulations, to effectively support and facilitate the Board's mission, vision, core beliefs & commitments, policies, and strategic direction.

The appropriate Chief Officer, or Chief's Designee, and other appropriate parties, will research and draft the proposed administrative regulation or revise an existing administrative regulation.

The Superintendent, or a designee, will initiate action to develop or revise any administrative regulation.

The Office of the Superintendent will submit an initial draft of the proposed or revised administrative regulations to the Office of Legal Affairs for review and the facilitation of any necessary outside legal counsel review.

Administrative regulations will be subject to Board review, but do not require Board approval.

PROCESS FOR MAKING CONFORMING CHANGES TO BOARD POLICIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS

Conforming changes are revisions to existing, adopted Board policies or approved administrative regulations that are conforming or editorial in nature (e.g., corrections of grammar, formatting and personnel title changes, and wording clarifications), which do not alter the intent or provisions of the existing Board policy or administrative regulations.

The Office of the Board of Education will facilitate any necessary and appropriate conforming changes to Board policies and administrative regulations.

The appropriate Chief Officer, or Chief's Designee, will present a draft of the Board policy or administrative regulation, inclusive of any conforming changes, to the Superintendent or Superintendent's Designee for approval.

Conforming changes to Board policies and/or administrative regulations do not require Board approval; however, any conforming changes will be shared with the Board, in advance of issuance.

Upon the Superintendent's or a designee's approval, the Office of the Board of Education will facilitate posting of the updated policy or administrative regulations to the Board Policy Manual.