Administrative Procedure 2481 - Administrative Procedure Process

I. Purpose

To outline the process and identify the responsibilities for the development, review, approval, and publication of new and revised administrative procedures.

II. Policy

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is authorized to develop and issueadministrative procedures to execute Board of Education policies, when applicable.Administrative procedures must be tied directly to a Board policy, or used as a means toaddress legal or legislative compliance. (Policy 9340)

III. Background

The purpose of an administrative procedure is to delineate howBoard policies are implemented, provide guidance to key staff about their duties andresponsibilities and guide compliance with state and federal requirements. A well writtenadministrative procedure should promote efficiency, consistency, responsibility andaccountability in the functions that are essential to Prince George’s County PublicSchools (PGCPS). All Board policies and administrative procedures are available on thePGCPS website.

IV. Definitions

The following definitions apply to the contents of this AdministrativeProcedure 2481:

Board of Education policies: Guidance and requirements which remain effectiveuntil specifically canceled or modified by the Board of Education.
Administrative Procedures: The CEO’s system-wide procedural guidance oradministrative information which remains effective until specifically canceled ormodified by a later administrative procedure.

V. Procedures

Developing and Publishing Administrative Procedures:

Issuance

Only the CEO may issue an administrative procedure. Any department mayoriginate an administrative procedure, but approval is required by the CEO.

Format of Administrative Procedure

To facilitate ease of reading and reference, administrative procedures will followthe established format which will include the following standard paragraphswhere appropriate (see Attachment 1):

Standard Paragraph	Paragraph's General Content
Purpose	Concise statement of “why” the administrative procedure is being written.
b. Policy	Reference to Board’s policy, if applicable, stating “what” is required.
c. Background	Additional explanation in short, narrative form of circumstances or events which may provide a better understanding of the policy and the purpose of the administrative procedure.
d. Definitions	Clear identification of terms which may have a specific meaning within the administrative procedure concerned.
e. Procedures	Step-by-step sequential listing of actions in accomplishing the purpose of the administrative procedure concerned. The sequence of actions should be provided in an easy-to read format, stating “who does what, when, and how.”
f. Monitoring and Compliance	Identification of the office or person that will be responsible for monitoring the actual compliance with the administrative procedure, what will be monitored and how it will be monitored. This section may include reporting requirements and who will be responsible for reviewing the reports, or legally mandated training requirements and who will be responsible for reviewing the training documentation, etc.
g. Related Procedures	Other administrative Procedures which may address related procedural guidance and/or requirements.
h. Legal Reference	Reference to Federal or State laws or regulations, if applicable.
i. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures	Identification of the initiating office responsible for regular updating, and for interim special updating or revisions of the administrative procedure.
j. Cancellations and Supersedures	Identification of existing administrative procedures which are to be superseded and canceled by the new administrative procedure.
k. Effective Date	The date the administrative procedure will be effective.

The format of paragraphs is a guide and should other paragraph captions be considered appropriate to add to the above, such is recommended.

Development and Revision of an Administrative Procedure by Initiating Office:
1. Administrative procedures should be developed with the user in mind. Administrative procedures should be concise and well organized, but also provide explicit instructions for completing tasks, responsibilities, and forms. Well-developed and thought-out procedures are simple for the user to follow and will ensure that the user operates in compliance with the administrative procedure.
2. The office(s), department(s), or division(s) responsible for writing or revising the administrative procedure might need to solicit input from other staff members and stakeholders, as appropriate, as well as review best practices including administrative procedures from other school districts in Maryland.
3. If an administrative procedure addresses subjects/activities that cut across several divisions, it is the responsibility of the initiating office to collaborate with the other division(s)/department(s) to address any subjects/activities that need to be written or changed.
Content
1. Ensure the administrative procedure is complete and accurate. The division(s), department(s), or office(s) is/are responsible for writing or revising the administrative procedure and should thoroughly check to ensure that the administrative procedure is capable of being implemented.
2. Check for consistency with Board policy. If there is a need for new changes in related policies, the Chief of the Division responsible for the administrative procedure should inform the Office of Governmental Relations, Compliance, and Procedures.
3. Ensure the administrative procedure does not duplicate other administrative procedures, and that it is consistent with and does not conflict with other related administrative procedures. Additionally, ensure that definitions in the administrative procedure are consistent with the definitions in other procedures.
4. Ensure that the Related Procedures and Policies are current and, if known, references to Federal and State laws and regulations should be included.
Format
1. The presentation of information should be organized so that the user can quickly focus on the aspect of the administrative procedure relevant to their task/responsibility at hand and easily follow the guidance to complete their task/responsibility. Whenever possible prepare the draft in the general format of Attachment 1 of this administrative procedure.
2. Labels should be used to introduce key points.
3. All revisions must be done with track changes; highlighting the changed language will not suffice. (See attachment 2)
Division Chief Review and Approval Prior to Submission
1. Prior to submitting an administrative procedure to the Office of Government Relations, Compliance, and Procedures, the Division Chief responsible for writing the administrative procedure must review and approve it for transmittal.
2. The administrative procedure must be submitted to the following email address: admin.procedures@pgcps.org. Along with submitting the administrative procedure to the Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures’ email address for review, the Chief/designee must provide an explanation of the need for the new or revised administrative procedure and a This information should be included in the body of the email.
Final Review and Approval Process
1. Absent priority status due to policy requirements, legal requirements, or operational imperatives, the administrative procedures submitted will be reviewed on a first come first serve basis.
2. The Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures will review the administrative procedure for compliance related requirements. If the administrative procedure needs clarification or substantive content language changes, the Office of Governmental Relations, Compliance and Procedures will return the administrative procedure to the Division Chief or designee to make the necessary language changes.
3. Upon approval by the Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures, the administrative procedure will be forwarded to the Office of General Counsel. The Office of General Counsel will review citations to laws and regulations that apply to the administrative procedure. Only substantive legal language changes will be provided in the legal review.
4. The Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures will assign a number to all new administrative procedures.
5. Upon completion of the compliance and legal review process, the Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures will submit the administrative procedure to the CEO for approval. Upon approval, the CEO will provide the Board with a copy of the administrative procedure as an information item. The CEO will then advise the Office of Government Relations, Compliance, and Procedures of the date for the administrative procedure to be published.
Publishing and Communication
Upon notification from the CEO that the administrative procedure should be published, the Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures will send the administrative procedure to the Office of Communications. The Office of Communications will post the new or revised administrative procedure on the PGCPS website. The Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures wil notify all employees of such posting.

Actions Required Upon Receipt of Board Policies and Administrative Procedures:
1. Chiefs, Associate Superintendents, Directors, Principals, Administrators and Supervisors will:
  1. Ascertain that Board policies and administrative procedures are understood by personnel concerned.
  2. Monitor for and report problems related to the implementation of the administrative procedure; report problems requiring system-wide resolution to the division, department or office preparing the particular administrative procedure concerned, via the appropriate channels.
  3. Make recommendations for changes in administrative procedures to the person to whom they report, who, in turn, will share the recommendations, if determined appropriate, with the division, department or office preparing the particular administrative procedure.
2. Principals/Supervisors will:
  1. Provide training, when legally mandated, to staff. If assistance is desired with the training, contact the division, department or office responsible for writing or revising the administrative procedure.
  2. Review all possible violations of the administrative procedure and when appropriate implement corrective action utilizing the Corrective Action Document and related Employee Code of Conduct requirements.
3. Chief Executive Officer will:
  1. Continuously evaluate the completion of administrative procedure reviews and development.
  2. Recommend to the Board any needed new policies, and/or changes to existing policies.
  3. Advise the Board on implementation of administrative procedures.

VI. Monitoring and Compliance

The CEO will identify priority administrative procedures for review and revision over the course of the succeeding school year.
Principals/Supervisors will maintain a record of the legally mandated training that is provided to staff pertaining to the administrative procedure, including but not limited to the sign-in sheets or other documentation identifying staff who attended the training.

VII. Related Procedures

None.

VIII. Legal Reference

§ 4-402, Md. Code. Ann., Education Article

IX. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

This Administrative Procedure 2481 originates with the Office of Government Relations, Compliance and Procedures, and will be reviewed and updated as necessary.

X. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure 2481 cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 2481, dated July 1, 2013.