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Jorma Ollila stated, “Responsible policy makers do not make irresponsible decisions.” In
schools, policy has the weight of law. School board members and superintendents must be
very intentional about creating or changing school policy. Policy must be followed when
creating or changing policy. When careful consideration has gone into the creation or
The need for new or changing policy often arises from happenings in society. Before a
superintendent recommends a policy to the school board, careful consideration should be paid
to all details of the policy. Policy should never be adopted in haste as a reaction to a situation.
Often model policy on a variety of topics is available from various sources. Even these model
policies should be dissected to verify they will have the lasting impact they were intended to
There are policies which govern all functions of a school district: foundation and basic
or other documents are often cross referenced in policies. It is the role and responsibility of the
school board to adopt policies and evaluate the results of the policies. It is the role and
responsibility of the superintendent to develop, monitor, and implement plans to carry out the
policies.
Clear policies lead to clear expectations. Policies must also align with a person’s values
if those policies are to be carried out with heart. During my field experience, I had the chance
to read several of the New London-Spicer school policies. The school board began January’s
meeting with a review on the policy about meetings and policy. The board also worked to
revise the school meal charging policy this year. Being witness to the discussion and process
was very enlightening. The board held a thorough and complete discussion during both the
first and second readings of the policy before adopting the new language. Allowing students to
continue to eat on a negative balance was the right thing to do rather than deny a student the
ability to eat lunch. The food service account has a positive balance and taking care of
students’ needs is a priority as is now stated in the revised policy. Revising the policy makes it
clear that it is the parents’ responsibility to keep a positive lunch account balance. Policy also
makes it clear that the dignity of students will always come first.