General Policy Guidelines

Education Policy Issues

Policy Services

A school district's policies are its voice. As an advocate for School Board leadership, MSBA enhances the power of your school district's voice through assistance in developing clear and sound written School Board policies.

MSBA's policy materials are organized into a two-volume set:

**The first volume contains Board policies and regulations that require adoption for legal compliance and accreditation standards. As the chief policymaking body of the district, the Board should regularly adopt updates to this volume.

**The second volume contains administrative procedures and administrative forms, that are intended to be routinely developed and monitored by the district's administrators to implement Board policies. Even though this volume is to be used exclusively by the administration and, as such, does not require Board action, the procedures and forms must always be tailored for consistency with adopted policy.

Brief descriptions of the various services offered are outlined below. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you would like further information. You can reach Kelli Hopkins, Director of Education Policy at 573.445.9920 ext. 345, or by e-mail at hopkins@msbanet.org. We look forward to working with your district!

Policy Development Options

Core Manuals

The core MSBA manuals are available to districts who want updated policies, procedures and forms to reflect changes in the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) as well as state and federal law.

Fully Customized Policy Resource Manuals (Custom Project)

You are provided with a full review of the district's sources, including the policy manual, handbooks, administrative materials and Board minutes from the last five years. We combine district information with our current policies, procedures and forms for the creation of fully customized manuals that address changes in MSIP and state and federal law. This includes one year of Full Maintenance service at no extra charge. At the request of the district, MSBA will also provide one year of Policy Online service at no additional charge.

Policy Maintenance Options

Basic Updates

Through this service, periodic updates are merged with your district name and sent to you for Board adoption. Updates of policies, procedures and forms are sent out up to three times annually, often necessitated by legislative action, court cases, agency regulations and educational trends. The expert members of the Policy Advisory Committee, who provide input to policy drafts prior to statewide distribution, also review updates. The Committee is made up of superintendents, school law attorneys, Board members and insurance specialists. The members of the committee were chosen for their expertise and commitment to public education.

Full Maintenance

You are provided with ongoing customized maintenance for MSBA's two-volume format. Your Full Maintenance editor will also monitor Board minutes, evaluate policy changes and provide written reviews from our policy experts when necessary. Periodic updates are provided in a customized format, retaining the district's unique policy and administrative information.

Policy Online

In order to save districts the time, effort and expense necessary to maintain several hard copy manuals, MSBA offers our Full Maintenance districts a Policy Online service. Subscribing to the online service gives districts instant access from their own website to their current custom manual in a searchable format without straining district technology resources. A district's manual is hosted on MSBA's dedicated online web server and linked to the district's home page. MSBA staff customize a website banner for the manual, provide the link for the district's homepage, and maintain and update the manual as needed without tying up district technology staff time or server space.

To view a list of districts currently subscribing to Policy Online, click here.

Other Support Services

Legal Hotline

You have access to a toll-free legal hotline where MSBA attorneys devoted to school law can answer your questions about legal implications of school policy.

On-site Consultations

To assist in the adoption process, districts may choose to meet with MSBA policy staff, along with one of our staff attorneys to go through each section of the new policy manual, answering any questions or addressing any concerns you might have.

Local District Updates

Changes in local policy can be handled at a per-page cost upon request by the district. Comments regarding individual policies are also available upon request.

The Educator's Desk Reference: A Guide to Navigating Policy and Legal Issues in Missouri Schools

This annual publication provides the most current information and guidance on some of the trickiest issues facing Missouri educators today.