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Board Policies 9000 - Bylaws of the Board
Board Bylaw 9340 - Policy Development

Board Bylaw 9340 - Policy Development

I. Policy Statement

The Board of Education of Prince George’s County, with the advice of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), sets goals and expectations for the Prince George’s County Public Schools System (PGCPS) through the creation, revision, and adoption of policies. These policies guide the development and implementation of educational programs and the management of system operations. Board policies are aligned with the PGCPS vision, mission and values, as well as applicable federal, state, and local laws. The Board believes that sound policy decisions require the consideration of staff recommendations and community input.

II. Purpose

This policy provides a uniform format for Board policies and establishes processes by which policies are developed, implemented, monitored, evaluated, reviewed, and updated.

III. Definitions

Within the context of policy development, the following definitions apply:

  1. Adopted – Original date the Board took action to approve a policy.
  2. Effective – The date a policy is implemented throughout PGCPS, typically July 1 following Board action.
  3. Administrative Procedures – Administrative directives adopted by the CEO that provide specific instructions related to the execution of Board policy.
  4. Amended – The date the Board took action to alter a policy.
  5. Policy – A written document adopted by the Board that furthers the vision, mission and values of PGCPS and guides the development and implementation of educational programs and system operations.
  6. Reviewed – The date the current policy was reviewed by the Policy and Governance Committee and/or the Board of Education without any change.
  7. Standards – Parameters that specify the required behavior or outcome that follows from the broad intent of a policy.
  8. Non-substantive changes – Changes that must be made to a policy in order to comply with law, or changes to update names of PGCPS titles, departments or offices or other referenced entities.

IV. Standards

  1. All policy development and revision activities will adhere to the processes detailed in this policy and the corresponding administrative procedures.
  2. Policy development or policy revision can be initiated in any of the following ways:
    1. By recommendation of the full Board, any Board committee, or Board-authorized Focus Work Group.
    2. By written request of any Board member to the Chair of the Policy and Governance Committee, with a copy to the Board Chair and Board Executive Director.
    3. By the CEO to comply with established annual policy development activities.
  3. All Board policies will be reviewed within a seven-year cycle.
  4. At the end of each school year, the CEO will present an annual report to the Policy and Governance Committee that outlines the following:
    1. Policies that require, or are recommended for, revision.
    2. Policies that have been reviewed but are not recommended for revision.
    3. Administrative procedures that require revision to be in alignment with Board policy.
    4. Policies that should be created to align with existing administrative procedures.
  5. In certain cases, outside the regular cycle, policies will require non-substantive changes. The CEO will present the policy containing the non-substantive changes to the Policy and Governance Committee for action at a regularly scheduled Committee meeting. The Policy and Governance Committee may recommend to the Board to take immediate action on these modified policies.
  6. Policies of the Board will include the following elements:
    1. Policy Statement
    2. Purpose
    3. Definitions
    4. Standards
    5. Implementation Responsibilities
    6. References
    7. History
  7. The Board will conduct its deliberations on policies and obtain input from the public through the following procedure:
    1. At the end of each school year, the Policy and Governance Committee will approve a list of policies to review for the coming year, with guidance from the CEO and Board Executive Director. The Committee, at the discretion of the Committee Chair, may review additional policies throughout the year.
    2. The Committee Chair, in collaboration with the Vice-Chair, will determine each meeting agenda of the Committee.
    3. Once a policy is added to the agenda, the policy’s sponsor, i.e., the CEO, Board Committee, Focus Work Group, or individual Board member, will present a written report to the Committee regarding the recommendations and rationale for the content of a new policy or revisions to an existing policy. At that same meeting, the CEO will present a written report on legal ramifications and operational impact of the policy, and provide any suggested changes (if applicable).
    4. Based upon the report, and input from the CEO, the Committee will review the policy, make suggested edits, and then vote on whether to forward the policy to the full Board, with a recommendation to advance consideration of the policy and to seek public comment on the policy.
    5. If advanced by the Board, the policy will be posted on the PGCPS webpage and publicized by the school district for community input, for a period no shorter than two (2) weeks.
    6. Based upon community input, the CEO, in collaboration with the Board Executive Director, will draft any suggested changes to the policy The CEO will craft Administrative Procedure(s) to implement the policy.
    7. The Policy and Governance Committee will then review the revised policy and proposed administrative procedure(s), and discuss, amend (if necessary) and vote on whether to recommend that the Board adopt the policy.
    8. If recommended, the policy will be sent to the full Board for consideration. The Board shall provide an opportunity for public comment on the proposal during first and second readers.
    9. The Board will take action on the proposed policy.
  8. Policies and procedures that directly affect students or staff will take effect on July 1 following their adoption, unless otherwise approved by the Board.
  9. Administrative procedures that correspond to a Board policy will be issued by the CEO.
    1. Administrative procedures will be submitted to the Board concurrent with the corresponding draft policy presented to the Policy and Governance Committee, after community input.
    2. If revisions to administrative procedures do not require changes to a corresponding Board policy, the administrative procedures will be submitted to the Board as an information item prior to implementation. Nothing herein abridges the Board’s right to review administrative procedures and to direct the CEO to revise them should they, in the Board’s judgement, be inconsistent with the policies adopted by the Board, or contradict the vision, mission, or values of the Board of Education.
  10. After policies are approved by the Board, the PGCPS Policy Manual and websites of the PGCPS and the Board will be updated.
  11. The Board may alter these standards at any time upon a majority vote of the Board.

V. Implementation Responsibilities

  1. At the end of each school year, the CEO will provide the Policy and Governance Committee with a schedule of proposed policy development/revision plans for the following school year based on identified needs. The schedule will list the policies recommended for review and those policies not recommended for revisions.
  2. The CEO is responsible for the preparation and presentation of draft proposals for new policies and policy revisions, unless otherwise noted herein.
  3. The CEO is authorized to develop and issue administrative procedures to execute Board policies, when applicable. The CEO should not enact administrative procedures unless tied directly to a Board policy, or as a means to address legal or legislative compliance.
  4. The CEO is responsible for the publication and maintenance of a PGCPS Policy Manual and for ensuring that information is made available to all employees, employee associations, students, and the community regarding newly developed or revised Board policies and administrative procedures.
  5. The CEO, in collaboration with the Board of Education Executive Director, will develop a process to ensure the continuous monitoring of Board policies and their implementation including, as appropriate, the submission of reports to the Board that link data sources to policy implementation.
  6. The CEO is directed to develop appropriate procedures to implement this policy.

VI. References

  1. Legal
    • The Annotated Code of Maryland, Education Article, §4-108(3) and (4)
  2. Other Board Policies
  3. Relevant Data Sources
  4. Other

About This Policy

Reveiwed March 1, 2022

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