Policies
Masconomet Regional School District

Topsfield , Massachusetts

 

 

 

 

This manual contains the official policies of the Masconomet School Committee.  Policy development in a modern, forward-looking school system is a dynamic, ongoing process.  New problems, issues, and needs give rise to the continuing need to develop new policies or to revise existing ones.  This is why the Committee employs the loose-leaf format for this manual.  It is easy to keep up to date.

 

Each person holding a copy of this manual should make a diligent effort to keep it up to date as the central office distributes new policies.

 

How to Use This Manual

 

The Masconomet Regional School District operates according to policies established by the School Committee.  The Committee, which represents the state and local community, develops policies after careful deliberation, and the school administration implements them through specific regulations and procedures.  The Committee then appraises the effect of its policies and makes revisions as necessary.

 

In the interests of harmony, efficiency, uniformity of interpretation, coordination of effort, and in fairness to all concerned, the Committee makes this manual available to all who are affected by its policies.

 

SECTION CONTENTS (Click Section View Policies)

		INTRODUCTION
Index A	SECTION A:	FOUNDATIONS AND BASIC COMMITMENTS
Index B	SECTION B:	SCHOOL BOARD GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONS
Index C	SECTION C:	GENERAL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
Index D	SECTION D:	FISCAL MANAGEMENT
Index E	SECTION E:	PEST MANAGEMENT POLICY
Index F	SECTION F:	FACILITIES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Index G	SECTION G:	PERSONNEL
Index H	SECTION H:	NEGOTIATIONS
Index I	SECTION I:	INSTRUCTION
Index J	SECTION J:	STUDENTS
Index K	SECTION K:	SCHOOL, COMMUNITY, AND HOME RELATIONS
Index L	SECTION L:	EDUCATION AND AGENCY RELATIONS

                                            

 

Please Note:  All copies of this manual are the property of the Masconomet Regional School District .

How the Manual Is Organized

 

The manual is organized in accordance with the classification system developed by the National School Boards Association. This system provides an efficient means of coding, filing, and finding policies and other documents.  There are 12 major classifications, each assigned an alphabetical code.

 

            A   -     Foundations and Basic Commitments

            B    -     School Committee Governance and Operations

            C   -     General School Administration

            D   -     Fiscal Management

            E    -     Support Services

            F    -     Facilities Development

            G   -     Personnel

            H   -     Negotiations

            I     -     Instruction

            J     -     Students

            K   -     School-Community Relations (public relations)

            L    -     Relations With Other Educational Agencies

 

Sub-classification under each heading is based on logical sequence and alphabetical sub-coding.  For an example of the sub-coding system, examine the white page immediately following the tab for Section A -- Foundations and Basic Commitments.

 

The white pages that follow the tab for each major section present the classification system, section by section, and serve as the tables of contents for each section of "chapter" of this manual.

 

How to Find a Policy

 

Consider where the policy statement (or regulation) would be filed among the 12 major classifications.  Turn to the table of contents for that section and glance down the listing until you find the term that most closely fits the topic you are seeking.  Use the code letters given for that term to locate the policy you need.  The pages are arranged in alphabetical order by code within the section.  All pages are coded in their upper right-hand corner.           

 

What if you can find the term and code, but there is no policy or regulation?  This probably means that the school system has no written policy or important regulations in that particular area.  All terms used in the classification system appear in the sectional tables of contents to accommodate the coding, insertion, and finding of policies or regulations that may be issued later. 

Using the Signs and Symbols

 

Various signs and symbols are used in connection with the classification system.  They are for your use in locating and/or in examining policies.  Included are the following:

 

Also:       Certain policies bear two codes in the upper right hand corner.  The second is preceded by 'Also'.  This means that the identical policy (or regulation) is filed under both codes.

 

-R           This symbol following a code indicates that the statement is a regulation, not a Committee policy.  The statement appears on a yellow, rather than a white, sheet.

 

-E           Exhibit.  This symbol following a code indicates that the statement is a reference document such as a calendar, application form, etc., rather than a policy.  Such statements are printed on green paper.

 

DATES:           Where possible, the original date of adoption/issuance appears in the footer of each policy or regulation.  This is followed by the dates of the 1^st Reading , 2^nd Reading and Adoption.  And finally a date approximately five years from the approval date for reconsideration of the policy.

 

LEGAL REF :   Pertinent legal references are given to inform the reader where in state law one may find the statutes that relate to a specific policy.  Unless otherwise noted, all references direct the reader to the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (cited as M.G.L., Chapter and section).

 

CROSS REF :  Certain policies and regulations relate to others.  Cross-references are provided following many statements to help the reader find all of the related information needed.  In addition, agreements reached through negotiations with recognized staff organizations have the full force of Committee policy.  References to negotiated agreements are provided, as appropriate, to direct the reader to statements in these agreements.

 

REC’D:            These are policies not previously included in the Masconomet Regional School District Committee Policy Manual, but are recommended by NESDEC for consideration for formal inclusion.

 

 

About Policies and Regulations

 

Generally, the role of a School Committee is to set policy and the role of the administration is to implement it through regulations.  Written policies are the chief means by which a School Committee governs the schools, and regulations are one of the means by which the Committee's policies are implemented.  The following definitions provide a distinction between these two types of statements:

 

         POLICIES are principles adopted by the School Committee to chart a course of action.  They are broad enough to indicate a line of action to be taken by the administration in meeting a number of day-to-day problems while being narrow enough to give the administration clear guidance.

 

         REGULATIONS are detailed directions usually developed by the administration to put policy into practice.

These definitions are serviceable some of the time.  They reflect sound theory of governance and administration.  But policies and regulations are obviously closely related.  They can and do merge, making it difficult to ascertain where one begins and the other ends.  For example:

 

·        State and federal governments require School Committees to make or officially approve detailed regulations and procedures in certain areas.

 

·        A School Committee signs contracts and agreements that may contain and interweave policies, regulations, and procedural detail.

 

·        The public, staff or School Committee members may demand that the School Committee itself, not the administration, establish specific regulations and procedures in certain sensitive areas.

 

It is the intermingling of policy and regulation in law, in contracts, and in adopted statements of the School Committee that can cause confusion.  Sometimes they are not easily separated.  Therefore, the separation of policies and regulations in this manual follows several "rules of thumb" in addition to basic theory:

 

1.      When law establishes the school system’s practice in a particular area, any informational statement covering the practice is presented as "policy."

 

2.      When a school system's practice in a particular area has been established through a negotiated agreement, any statement pertaining to that practice is presented as "policy."

 

3.      Where the School Committee has interwoven regulations with policy and where separation would interfere with their meaning, the entire statement is presented as a policy.

 

4.      Where the School Committee has adopted rules and bylaws concerning its own organizational and operating procedures, these statements appear as policy.

 

As long as the administration operates within the guidelines of policy adopted by the Committee, it may issue regulations without prior Committee approval, unless law requires Committee action, or unless the Committee has specifically asked that certain types of regulations be submitted for Committee approval.  The School Committee is to be informed of all school system regulations issued by the administration.  All such regulations are subject to Committee review.

 

Is The Manual Complete?

 

The manual contains all of the written policies of the Masconomet School Committee to date.  The School Committee will engage in a continuous cycle of policy review, updating and revising policies as needed.

 

Additionally, state law and regulations change.  No matter how well conceived and well developed, a policy manual can never be 100% complete and 100% up-to-date.  Policy development is a continuing process.  From time to time, new policies, regulations, and reference documents will be developed, coded under the classification system, and used for insertion in the manual. 

Should the need arise, supplemental sub-codes may be added to the classification system to accommodate topics not covered by existing codes. 

 

Order of Precedence

 

School Committee policies and regulations, as well as negotiated agreements with staff bargaining units, must be read and interpreted in the light of the Massachusetts General Laws and state regulations.  Wherever inconsistencies of interpretation arise, the law and state regulations prevail.  A conflict between a local policy or regulation and a negotiated agreement must be interpreted in line with the contract for members of the particular bargaining unit.

 

Terminology

 

The masculine, feminine and neuter genders as used in this manual import one another and the singular shall include the plurals whenever applicable.

 

It is the hope of the School Committee that this collection of policies will make greater harmony and efficiency possible in all areas of school operations.  This will enable the Committee to devote more time to its primary duty – the development of long-range policies and planning for the future of the school system.

 

 

 

                                                                                    Masconomet Regional School District

School Committee