The expectations for student conduct, student attendance, co-curricular eligibility, and academic program should be articulated in the student handbook.
These policies should have board approval and should be cross-referenced by supporting board policies. Every policy and procedure in the handbook should have moved through a review by staff, students, and parents. In addition, once the handbook is approved, each policy and procedure should be subject to annual review and revision. The review process gives credibility to the handbook and its contents. It sends the message that this is our school and that ultimately, we want our school to be as good as it can be for our students.
It is also important not to get defensive about policies and procedures. When hours of meetings go into policy development, it is easy to take it personally when they are criticized or picked apart. Approaching policy review as an ongoing effort to better serve students, staff, parents, and the mission of the school is a much healthier perspective.
It will take years to get the handbook and all of its policies into perfect condition. Ultimately, even when you think your policies are perfectly worded, you find flaws. Sometimes these flaws are uncovered during the annual review process and sometimes they are exposed when a concerned parent or parent’s attorney scrutinizes it. Nonetheless, the handbook is a valuable guideline and aid for consistency.
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