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Board Policies 8000 - Internal Board Policies
Board Policy 8101 - Policy Development

Board Policy 8101 - Policy Development

I. POLICY STATEMENT

The Board of Education of Prince George’s County (Board), with the advice of the Superintendent, sets goals and expectations for Prince George’s County Public Schools (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 and regulations. 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
  2. Effective – The date a policy is implemented throughout PGCPS, typically immediately, following Board action, unless based on the implementation requirements impacting students and/or staff, the Board determines that July 1is more appropriate.
  3. Administrative procedures – Directives developed and adopted by the Superintendent that provide specific instructions related to the execution of Board
  4. Amended –     The date the Board took action to alter a policy.
  5. Amendments – Substantive changes to a policy.
  6. Non-substantive amendments– 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, to update cross-references, etc.
  7. Policy – The written principles formally adopted by the Board that further the vision, mission and values of PGCPS. The Board exercises its leadership role through the formulation and adoption of policy. Board policies guide the overall development and implementation of educational and operational programs and are consistent with the Board’s long-term goals and objectives.
  8. Reviewed – The date the current policy was reviewed by the Policy and Governance Committee and/or the Board without any amendment.
  9.  Standards – Parameters that specify the required behavior or outcome that follows from the broad intent of a policy.

 IV. STANDARDS

  1. All policy development and revision activities will adhere to the processes detailed in this policy.
  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 the Director of the Board Office.
    3. By the Superintendent 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 Superintendent shall present an annual report to the Policy and Governance Committee that outlines the following:
    1. Policies that require, or are recommended for,
    2. Administrative procedures that require revision to be in alignment with Board policies.
    3. Policies that should be created to align with existing administrative procedures.'
  5. In certain cases, outside the regular cycle, policies will require non-substantive amendments The Superintendent/designee will present the policy containing the non-substantive amendments to the Policy and Governance Committee for review and 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 beginning of each school year, the Policy and Governance Committee will approve a list of policies to review during the upcoming school year, with guidance from the Superintendent and Director of the Board Office. The Committee Chair will report to the full Board at the October Board Business Meeting the list of approved policies to review during the school year. 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, Administration staff and Board staff will determine each meeting agenda of the Committee.
    3. Once a policy is added to the agenda for discussion, the policy’s sponsor, e., the Superintendent, Board Committee, Focus Work Group, or individual Board member, will provide the rationale for the recommendation of a new policy or r amendments to an existing policy. The Administration staff will develop the new policy or amend an existing policy.
    4. The date a policy is implemented throughout PGCPS, typically immediately, following Board action, unless based on the implementation requirements impacting students and/or staff, the Board determines that July 1is more appropriate.
    5. The Committee will review the policy and make suggested The policy will then be reviewed by the Office of General Counsel for legal sufficiency and by the Superintendent. The Superintendent will provide the Committee with a written statement regarding the operational impact and legal ramifications of the policy and provide any suggested changes (if applicable). The Committee will then vote on whether to take action to to seek public comment on the policy.
    6. If the Committee approves seeking public comment on the policy, , the policy will be posted on the PGCPS webpage and publicized for community input, for a period no shorter than two (2) weeks.
    7. The Policy and Governance Committee will review the public comments received and determine if additional revisions should be made to the policy.
    8. The Policy and Governance Committee will then review the revised policy and vote on whether to recommend that the Board adopt the policy.
    9. If recommended, the policy will be sent to the full Board for The Board shall provide an opportunity for public comment on the proposed policy during consideration of the policy.
    10. The Board will take action to adopt the proposed policy.
  8. Policies will be implemented throughout PGCPS, typically immediately, following Board action, unless based on the implementation requirements directly affect students and/or staff, the Board determines that July 1is more appropriate.
  9. An administrative procedure that corresponds to a Board policy will be issued by the Superintendent.
    1. The administrative procedure will be submitted to the Board within 30 days of the Board’s enactment of the corresponding policy. The administrative procedure will be submitted to the Board as an information item prior to implementation.
  10. If revisions to an administrative procedure do not require changes to a corresponding Board policy, the administrative procedures will be submitted to the Board as an information item prior to Nothing herein abridges the Board’s right to review administrative procedures and to direct the Superintendent 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.
  11. After policies are approved by the Board, the Board Office will inform the Superintendent in writing that the policies have been enacted, and the Superintendent/designee will update the PGCPS website to include the newly enacted policies.
  12. The Board may alter these standards at any time upon a majority vote of the

V. IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. At the end of each school year, the Superintendent will provide the Policy and Governance Committee with a schedule of proposed policy development/revision plans for the following school year based on identified The schedule will list the policies recommended for review and new policies that need to be developed to align with existing administrative procedures or to address newly passed legislation.
  2. The Superintendent/designee is responsible for the preparation and presentation of draft proposals for new policies and policy revisions, unless otherwise noted herein.
  3. The Superintendent is authorized to develop and issue administrative procedures to execute Board policies, when applicable. The Superintendent should not enact administrative procedures unless tied directly to a Board policy, however the Superintendent has the authority to create an administrative procedure that is not tied to a Board policy when the administrative procedure is a means to address legal or legislative compliance.
  4. The Superintendent/designee is responsible for the publication and maintenance of the Board’s policies on the PGCPS website 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 Superintendent/designee in collaboration with the Director of the Board, will develop a process to ensure the continuous monitoring and reviewing of Board policies on their seven-year cycle and their implementation including, as appropriate, the submission of reports to the Board that link data sources to policy

VI. REFERENCES

  1. Legal
  • 4-102(c) MD.CODE.ANN., EDUC.
  • 4-108, MD CODE. ANN., EDUC.T

VII. HISTORY

Policy Reviewed 1/14/05

Policy Reviewed 9/28/05

Policy Revised 10/18/07

Policy Revised 5/14/15

Policy Effective 2/20/20

Policy Reviewed 3/1/33

Policy Amended 02/27/2025

Documents

Board Policy 8101 - Policy Development.pdf