9311 Policies

9311

                                                                                        BYLAWS
                                             POLICIES

Introduction

The Colchester Board of Education considers policy development one of its chief functions.
Through the development and adoption of written policies, the Board shall exercise its
leadership in the operation of the school system. Within the context of current law, the District
shall be guided by Board-adopted written policies that are given appropriate distribution and
are accessible to staff members, parents, students, and community residents.

Changes in needs, conditions, purposes, and objectives will require revisions, deletions, and
additions to the policies of present and future Boards. Policy development is therefore an
ongoing process.

Board policies are effective upon Board adoption or at a future date designated by the Board at
the time of adoption.

Adoption and/or Amendment of Board of Education Policies

1. Proposals to amend existing policies or adopt new policies shall be made to the Policy
Committee and may be based on one or more of the following:

       a. Suggestions and requests from Board members;

       b. Recommendations from the Superintendent of Schools;

       c. Statutory or legal requirements;

       d. Citizen input.

 The Superintendent or designee shall reduce proposals into acceptable written format for
further deliberation and/or action by the Policy Committee. The Superintendent, as the policy
draft writer for the Board, shall seek the advice of counsel when, in the Superintendent's
opinion or the Board's, there may be a question of legality or proper legal procedure in the
development of a proposed policy.

2. The Policy Committee shall present a new or amended policy, together with its
recommendations, to the entire Board at a regular Board meeting (the “First Meeting”). No
action shall be taken at this First Meeting.

3. The Board may act on a proposed new or amended policy at any regular meeting
subsequent to the First Meeting, at which time amendments to the policy proposal may also be

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made. The proposed policy, as amended (if applicable), may be approved at this second
meeting if the changes are not a departure from the essence of the policy proposal; if the
proposed changes are major, the policy should be brought back for a third review at a
subsequent regular Board meeting, with a further recommendation from the Board’s policy
committee.

4. New or revised policies that are required pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes or State
Board of Education Regulations may be brought to the Board by the Superintendent without
first being reviewed by the Policy Committee and may be approved at the First Meeting.

Formal adoption of policies and/or amendments of policies shall be recorded in the minutes of
the Board meeting. Only those written statements so adopted and recorded shall be regarded
as official policies.

Non-Substantive Revisions to Existing Policies

Revisions to existing policies to correct typographical errors and/or other non-substantive
matters may be made by the Superintendent without Board approval, provided the
Superintendent provides written notification to the Board through the inclusion of a redlined
copy in the Information Items section of the Board’s Agenda for the following meeting.




Legal Reference:      Connecticut General Statutes

                      10-221 Boards of Education to prescribe rules, policies, and procedures.




ADOPTED:              November 18, 1997
REVISED:              April 8, 2014
REVISED:              January 23, 2018
REVISED:              September 4, 2018

NSC

COLCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Colchester, Connecticut




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