The Board directs the superintendent to recall all policy manuals periodically for purposes of administrative updating and Board review. The superintendent and administrative staff shall make every effort to ascertain that each copy of the policy manual or any excerpt therefrom is identical. However, only that copy which is designated “official copy” and which is kept at all times in the office of the superintendent of schools shall be recognized as authoritative.
If after searching these sources you still cannot locate the information you are seeking, it is possible that the district does not have written materials in that area. It is also possible that a brief statement related to the area you are seeking has been incorporated into a “superior” policy that covers the general area. To find it, read up on the classification system and skim the relevant policy.
Many of the documents in these manuals cite references to further assist the reader. Policies often contain “Cross Refs” to refer the reader to related information in another section. “MSIP Refs” indicate that the document fully or partially satisfies one or more components of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) Standards and Indicators Manual, Report Writing Form or District Response Form. The “Legal Refs” direct the reader to the state or federal law or case law on which the document is based. Additionally, documents that are required by law are labeled “critical” at the top, while those recommended based on best practices are labeled “basic.” It is important to note that additional laws or court decisions might also be applicable to a particular document.
Board of Education policies, regulations, administrative procedures and administrative forms must be read and interpreted in the light of federal and state laws and Missouri State Board of Education/Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regulations. Wherever inconsistencies of interpretation arise, the federal and state laws and regulations shall prevail.
It is the hope of the Board of Education of the Dent-Phelps R-III School District that this collection of policies, regulations, procedures and forms will provide for greater efficiency in all areas of school operations.
Introduction
These manuals contain the school district policies of the Dent-Phelps R-III School District Board of Education and the administrative procedures and forms intended to implement the policies. The manuals are organized according to MSBA’s modified coding system of the National School Boards Association (NSBA). The system provides an efficient means of coding, filing and finding policies, regulations (-R), administrative procedures (-AP) and administrative forms (-AF). The MSBA classification system has the fo11owing major classifications.
Subclassifications under each heading are based on logical sequence and alphabetical subcoding. For example, policy CB is used for a general policy statement regarding the school superintendent. Policy CBB relates to the more specific topic of recruiting and appointing a superintendent. Policy CBB, therefore, is a subcode of CB, and CB is the “superior” code of CBB.
According to NSBA/MSBA definitions:
Policies are principles adopted by the Board to chart a course of action. They tell what is wanted and may include why and how much. 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; however, they need to be narrow enough to give the administration clear guidance.
Regulations (-R) are step-by-step processes that contain legal material necessitating Board adoption.
Administrative Procedures (-AP) are detailed directions developed by the administration to put a policy into practice. They tell how, by whom, where and when tasks are to be accomplished.
Administrative Forms (-AF) are forms that complement Board policy and are used by the administration to collect or disseminate information or provide reference documents.
Each manual contains a Master Index in the front of each binder that will tell the reader at a glance which documents are available for each topic area. Each section of each manual begins with a table of contents to further aid users in finding documents.
A – Foundations and Basics
B – School Board 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