4. Policy & Law
a. Develop and implement policy to meet local, state, federal requirements / constitutional provisions
b. Apply standards of care involving civil and criminal liability for negligence, harassment and torts
c. Demonstrate understanding of state, federal and case law involving GENED, SPED and COMMED
Reflection
School leaders must be knowledgeable of the policies and laws that govern the operation and conduct of their schools. They need to demonstrate the ability to understand the legal knowledge necessary to make decisions that affect students and staff members. School leaders will be involved with developing policies, rules and regulations that will have an impact on an entire community. There are many laws and rules impacting this development.
During my field experience, I had the opportunity to serve on the district calendar committee in which we worked to set a school calendar for students and staff. It was important that we were knowledgeable about the legislative requirements around minimum number of student days, and when school could begin and end. During this particular year, we developed two calendars based around the fact that Labor Day was the second week in September. This pushed the start date of school back by a few weeks. We decided that we would develop two calendars, one with a before Labor Day start and one after, and wait for the legislature to determine if they would approve a before Labor Day start. It was important that we understood the law and policies that were in effect around this issue. The artifact attached shows the voting of the two calendars that was sent out to staff.
Policy and Law also comes into play during Special Education on a regular basis. There are many Special Education laws that a building administrator must be knowledge about. Being able to understand the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is critical to meeting the needs of all students. I was able to begin to understand these policies and laws by attending the student assistance team (SAT) meetings at Eagle Ridge Junior High and have attached the agenda for one of these meetings as an artifact. During these meetings, staff members from special education discuss students that have been referred by regular education teachers after interventions have failed. These meetings regularly cover the policies that are in effect for Special Education and how to ensure that they are staying in compliance with them. By attending these meetings, I was able to begin to expand my knowledge and background within Special Education.
I know that I will be required to be knowledgeable about the policies and laws affecting education on a regular basis, including Special Education and General Education. These policies will be everything from student behavior and utilizing the Tennessen warning to mandatory reporting and data privacy. There are so many laws impacting education including the rights of students and staff that it is very important for school leaders to have the knowledge and background to understand this information and know where to access it if they do not know.