Most local educational agencies juggle hundreds of policies, ideally striving to ensure they align with and support their school system’s mission and vision while being as effective as possible and meeting community needs.
“Policies are important because it is one place where the board can speak with one voice,” said CSBA Senior Director of Policy and Governance Technology Services Tezeta Stewartz. “People come and go, staff come and go, students will come and go, but your policies should be perennial, and they need to be regularly reviewed and maintained. Think about it like the foundation of your house — they’re the thing that everything else is built on.”
Most local educational agencies juggle hundreds of policies, ideally striving to ensure they align with and support their school system’s mission and vision while being as effective as possible and meeting community needs.
“Policies are important because it is one place where the board can speak with one voice,” said CSBA Senior Director of Policy and Governance Technology Services Tezeta Stewartz. “People come and go, staff come and go, students will come and go, but your policies should be perennial, and they need to be regularly reviewed and maintained. Think about it like the foundation of your house — they’re the thing that everything else is built on.”
The topics that policies govern run the gamut, from establishing comprehensive goals and communication strategies to administration and business operations, personnel decisions, student services, matters of curriculum and board bylaws (defined most simply as rules that outline how a board should function and conduct business).
The topics that policies govern run the gamut, from establishing comprehensive goals and communication strategies to administration and business operations, personnel decisions, student services, matters of curriculum and board bylaws (defined most simply as rules that outline how a board should function and conduct business).
alifornia LEAs are mandated by law to adopt more than 90 policies, and many others are necessary to ensure legal compliance. In fact, in addition to the 650 sample policies recommended by CSBA, the policy team regularly issues new sample policies to ensure that LEAs can respond dynamically to developing topics. Because policies can be impacted by changes in legislation, they must be updated when necessary to stay in good standing with the law. However, as emergent issues arise, boards must be ready to address them even if no precedent has been set at the state or federal levels.
As observed by some LEA leaders, matters of policy have been developing more rapidly in recent years.
“The pace has accelerated significantly,” said Roseville City School District Superintendent Derk Garcia. “Shifts in technology, student wellness, school safety and evolving social expectations have created a much more dynamic environment for boards. For example, emerging issues like mobile devices on campus require timely and thoughtful policies.
“Our district responds by prioritizing proactive monitoring of legislation and educational trends, engaging with professional associations and keeping open lines of communication with our community,” Garcia continued. “We recommend that other LEAs take a similar proactive stance rather than waiting for problems to arise. Policies are most effective when they anticipate, rather than simply react.”
CSBA has long established itself as the go-to resource for LEAs on all-things policy — offering services that include GAMUT Policy, which houses the most comprehensive set of sample school policies (upwards of 650 titles), administrative regulations and board bylaws in the state, as well as GAMUT Policy Plus, which includes access to the aforementioned features and acts as an LEA’s own online library of documents, which can be easily updated and shared with staff and/or the public. Among the expert-led endeavors available to CSBA members are the Policy Manual Review, which provides a report summarizing the health of an LEA’s policy manual, and Policy Development Workshops that assist LEAs in reviewing all sample policies, offer feedback and complete an up-to-date manual tailored to the local context.
Board policies (BPs) “are the official documents, the guidelines, that school district and county boards use to communicate their internal regulations and rules to their community, their staff and the public,” CSBA’s Stewartz said. Administrative regulations (ARs), which don’t necessarily have to be adopted in association with a policy, outline how policies will be carried out. Exhibits are forms or similar documents that supplement policies and/or ARs.
“A board is responsible for setting the policy. The district staff is responsible for implementing the policy,” Stewartz explained. “The board also has a role in requesting data or requesting information to understand whether or not something is happening, if there are changes that need to be made.”
Though they cover much of the same subject matter, COEs and school districts have slightly different policies to reflect their respective legal mandates. Regardless of the type of LEA or the population served, board members should be familiar with their policies and potential updates and be connected with knowledgeable staff who can answer any questions.
Policy update packets are published quarterly for GAMUT subscribers, with roughly 15 to 20 titles in each that have been impacted by changing laws. Corresponding webinars take place to present the changes and answer attendee questions. Special update packets are released as needed in response to scenarios like Supreme Court decisions, where more immediate action is required. The packets also aim to address any ambiguity that may be stalling LEAs.
“CSBA sample policies go through a really intense vetting process to ensure that what we produce meets a standard … and so I think that they are an incredible resource to start from,” Stewartz said. The vetting process consists of both internal and external reviews.
It is up to boards and LEA leadership to determine how often they review and consider policies. Stewartz recommends LEAs do so quarterly at minimum, when update packets are released, but the more often, the better. CSBA Director of Policy Manual Development Barbara Laifman concurred.
“I think it’s a really good practice to have board polices on each of your agendas so you’re in a continual process of updating policy,” Laifman, who previously served as a trustee in Ventura County’s Oak Park USD, said, noting that they would discuss a handful of policies per regular meeting and occasionally hold special meetings if they became backlogged.
In Placer County, Roseville City SD’s policy processes mirror many of the best practices CSBA’s Stewartz and Laifman suggested, including having a transparent and consistent process and utilizing policy subcommittees consisting of staff, parents or other stakeholders.
“Once approved by the board, implementation is guided through administrative regulations, leadership training and consistent communication with sites,” Garcia continued. “We emphasize clear alignment between policy, practice and daily operations so that staff, students and families understand both expectations and supports.”
Roughly a year after Roseville City SD enacted a policy to restrict students’ use of mobile devices during the school day, district leaders are lauding the positive impact it has had.
“The results have been positive,” Garcia said. “Teachers report stronger engagement and fewer classroom interruptions. Families have expressed appreciation that their children are more focused during the school day. Students themselves, especially at the middle school level, are showing increased academic performance and engaging in more meaningful social interactions.”
While students maintain possession of their devices, they must be turned off and put away from the time they enter campus until their last period of the day concludes.
After a coalition of educators voiced a need to minimize distractions and maximize student engagement, the board supported efforts to explore existing research and potential solutions.
Input from site leaders, teachers and families was solicited — helping to establish community buy-in — and ultimately, it was determined that “a consistent, districtwide approach was necessary.” The rollout spanned months, but because staff was willing to enforce the policy across all schools, and through clear communications (including a dedicated webpage) on the “why” behind the policy and consequences for violating it, they found success.
“At the heart of policy development is the recognition that policies are not static documents; they are living commitments to students, families and staff,” Garcia said. “Our mobile device policy illustrates this: it wasn’t about restricting technology for its own sake, but about helping students use it in the right ways, at the right times.”
At Banning USD in Riverside County, Superintendent Terrence Davis said they have seen similar results with the cellphone policy at its continuation, middle and high schools that directs students to keep their mobile devices stored away in Yondr pouches unless a teacher gives them permission to use for an assignment.
Davis said it has improved campus environments and, at the continuation school for example, has increased student engagement and graduation rates while reducing disciplinary issues.
The board hasn’t passed an administrative regulation yet as the district works to determine what works best at its schools. “We still need to work with our school sites to make sure we’re on the same page before we bring that forward,” Davis said.
In Santa Clara County’s Cupertino Union SD, Senior Director of Communication Erin Lindsey noted that a recently adopted policy regarding remote work has received positive feedback from staff. The policy recognizes that remote work may be necessary at times and aligns with the district’s commitment to fostering work-life balance.
“As CUSD Board Policy 4113.5 outlines, the district wants to provide flexible work options to employees throughout the year, ensuring it does not disrupt student learning or hinder district operations,” Lindsey said.
An emergent issue the district is currently focusing on is artificial intelligence (AI). “AI tools are rapidly transforming the way students learn, teachers instruct and staff complete their daily work tasks,” Lindsey said. “Our focus is on creating clear guidelines for the appropriate use of AI for both students and staff, while allowing for creativity and experimentation with this new and powerful technology.”
According to CSBA’s Laifman, AI is one pressing issue that LEA’s face today. CSBA has published a special update packet consisting of seven sample policies with revisions that consider AI, including those on employee and student use of technology, academic honesty, homework and student assessments.
While CSBA sample policies are an excellent starting point, LEAs should engage with the language and modify it to fit their local circumstances.
In addition to mobile devices and AI, other trending topics in the policy realm have been early childhood education, community schools, reading and instructional materials, sports, comprehensive safety plans, and actions around immigration enforcement.
With so much that demands boards’ attention, even with the best of intentions, it can be hard to keep up with policy maintenance. CSBA’s Stewartz explained that conducting an overview of policies or a workshop does not mean that processes are broken or good work isn’t happening — rather it can be a reset for LEAs, especially as policy-related matters evolve more rapidly.
Cupertino Union SD recently completed a Policy Development Workshop after delaying policy updates to focus on responding to the pandemic.
“Last year, staff, with support from the board of education, endeavored to update all policies, ARs and exhibits. With the help, guidance and resources from the CSBA-led Policy Development Workshop and the diligent work of staff, the board was able to approve a global adoption of the district’s Board Policy Manual. The district now has a keen focus on keeping this manual up to date,” Lindsey said.
“Our process now includes aligning our board policy updates with the CSBA quarterly updates. Staff brings the quarterly BP redlines to the board for a first read. Then, any approved BPs are updated,” she continued. “Once updated, staff reviews all related ARs and exhibits and makes any necessary changes.”
Lindsey added that keeping policies current “helps limit vulnerability to legal risks.” “Accurate board policies drive the work of the district and create necessary guardrails for [the] safety and accuracy of district operations,” she said.
Banning USD, which has also participated in a Policy Development Workshop, is following a similar plan to keep their manual updated. “CSBA has been the most important source of information for board members and school districts relating to policy,” Superintendent Davis said.
CSBA will continue to refine and expand its policy services to support LEAs. Staff is currently piloting a policy toolkit to supplement trustees’ expertise and offer guidance in improving local policy practices. Additional governance and policy resources, such as the report Governance in Chaos: Managing board meetings in turbulent times, can be accessed at csba.org/GovernanceAndPolicyResources.