chool boards are responsible for ensuring their local educational agencies operate effectively, ethically and in compliance with the law. To achieve this, regular review and updates to LEA policies are crucial.

Policies govern the way a district functions, including how decisions are made regarding education, student welfare, teacher conduct and financial management. Assessing and revising policies ensure they reflect current laws, regulations and educational best practices. This helps maintain a safe, fair and effective learning environment for students and staff.

Each year, a multitude of new laws that impact public schools are signed by the Governor, and school boards have the responsibility to update and adopt policies based on new legal requirements, as well as in response to changing community and school needs. Staying current on state-mandated legal requirements is crucial in minimizing the risk of negative outcomes from lawsuits, legal challenges and violations that could have serious consequences for the LEA.

Board members are encouraged to read and become familiar with Board Bylaw (BB) 9310 – Board Policies, which contains the policy adoption process along with other important information. The policy development process, as outlined in BB 9310, states:

1. The board and/or superintendent or designee shall identify the need for a new policy or revision of an existing policy. The need may arise from a change in law, a new district vision statement, new goals in the Local Control and Accountability Plan, educational research or trends, an incident that has arisen in the district, or a recommendation or request from staff, a parent/guardian or other interested person.
2. As needed, the superintendent or designee shall gather fiscal data, staff and public input, related district policies, sample policies from the California School Boards Association or other organizations or agencies, and other useful information and data to fully inform the board about a particular issue.
3. The board may hold discussions during a public meeting to gain an understanding of the issue and provide initial direction to the superintendent or designee. The discussion may include, but not be limited to, community expectations, staff recommendations, and the expected impact of the policy on student learning and well-being, equity, governance, and the district’s fiscal resources and operational efficiency.
4. The board or superintendent may request that legal counsel review the draft policy as appropriate. The superintendent or designee shall develop and present a draft policy to the board.

Policy review subcommittees

Governance experts recommend forming a board policy review subcommittee that meets monthly or quarterly to review changes mandated by law or state administrative decisions. Subscribers to CSBA’s GAMUT Policy will automatically be alerted to changes in sample policies made in response to new or updated law. Regularly scheduled policy reviews allow the board to respond to new challenges or emerging trends in education, technology and community needs and ensures that policies remain relevant and effective in guiding the school system’s operations and decision-making.

Policy review subcommittees typically include a few board members, the superintendent and relevant staff members who can provide expertise on policy matters. Additionally, some areas where community and student body input is helpful involve supports for student mental health, safety and technology use. Without regular updates, an LEA could appear to be falling behind in implementing the most effective educational practices.

Communicating policy

When boards regularly rely on and publicly refer to their policies, they’re fostering community trust that results from transparent decision-making. Showing thoughtful respect for the LEA’s policies helps ensure that the important work needed to undertake the basic duties of running the LEA — such as approving budgets or evaluating the superintendent — is clear and understandable to the community.

The importance of building community trust is multifaceted. In addition to helping nurture good relationships among education partners and stakeholders, being policy-aware has the day-to-day operational benefit of helping elected trustees be effective participants in board meetings, encouraging them to see the through-line between understanding their LEA’s policies and how they support student success.

Additionally, scheduling regular reviews of policies allows for governance team leaders to be more nimble when it comes to recognizing whether policies are reflecting the LEA’s vision as well as the specific need or direction of the individual policy. To improve policymaking in the future, meaningful reflection on how policies are actually working in the present is crucial to the overarching goal of supporting student achievement.