Policy and Attendance Committee

The purpose of the Policy Committee is to ensure compliance with Board of Education Policy #2410, Policy  Development, Adoption, Implementation and Review.  The Board and Policy Committee recognizes that written policies are essential to district governance in that they:

• Govern effectively and efficiently across time, situations, and individuals
• Provide the foundation and guidance for administrative action
• Publicize the federal, state and local rules that govern the district
• Help to evaluate progress by including measurable outcomes

The purpose of the Attendance Policy Review Committee is to require and encourage students to come to school each day, ready to learn, and perform at their highest level. The Committee fulfills this purpose by an annual review of Board of Education Policy #5100.

Policy Objectives

The Policy Committee’s annual objectives and priority areas are as follows:

• Review periodic policy updates from the New York State School Boards Association among Committee members for potential changes to Board policy manual
• Serve as a conduit for communication on policy issues from members of the Board, district staff, students, parents, district taxpayers or other members of the public
• Communicate with individuals and groups who will be affected by proposed policy changes and consider their input prior to a recommendation to the Superintendent
• Assure policy manual compliance when policies are required by law or regulation
• Make recommendations for policy additions, deletions, or revisions to the Superintendent and Board of Education and ensure each policy:
  • Is within the scope of the Board’s authority
  • Is consistent with state and federal law and the state and federal Constitutions
  • Supports the district’s goals and objectives
  • Reflects good practice (e.g. educational, personnel, business, etc.)
  • Is reasonable and not arbitrary or discriminatory
  • Adequately covers the subject
• Notify policy book holders of any policy additions, deletions or revisions after approval of the Board of Education
• Update online Board policy manual in BoardDocs as necessary for policy additions, deletions, revisions, or Committee review after approval of the Board of Education
• Share policy information and review process with individuals from other school districts as requested

Attendance Objectives

The Attendance Policy Review Committee’s annual objectives and priority areas are as follows:

• Review attendance guidance from the New York State Education Department for compliance purposes
• Serve as a conduit for communication on attendance policy issues from members of the Board, district staff, students, parents, district taxpayers or other members of the public
• Review district-wide and building attendance summary data to identify trends and suggest corrective action when attendance rates decrease
• Monitor recordkeeping mechanisms to ensure that the attendance of all students is tracked and analyzed
• Develop mechanisms for intervention when an individual student’s attendance record demonstrates a pattern requiring a need for improvement
• Develop district-wide and building programs to encourage regular student attendance, including the use of appropriate incentives
• Review Board of Education policy #5100 and recommend revisions to promote high levels of attendance
• Notify Policy Committee to update online Board policy manual in BoardDocs as necessary for policy revisions recommended by the Committee after approval of the Board of Education
• Secure the assistance of the public information specialist to promote the attendance policy and excellent student attendance
• Share attendance information, best practices and policy review process with individuals from other school districts as requested

Meeting Schedule

Additional meetings will be scheduled as needed