BYLAW 9210

THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY

RATIONALE

1. The Board believes it is necessary to set out guidelines for policy development which are flexible but which at the same time will provide consistency and an orderly procedure.

2. The Board believes that to fulfill its democratic mandate in representing the public interest it must be involved in or give leadership in all stages of policy development and implementation.

A. ARTICLE ONE – INITIATING A POLICY

1. A proposal for a new policy may be in the form of a draft policy proposal, a statement of intent with respect to the policy proposed, or a direction that a policy be developed in a specified area.

2. All policy proposals shall be submitted to the appropriate Board Committee in accordance with this Article at least two working days prior to the next meeting date of that committee.

3. Policy proposals in the Greater Victoria School District may be submitted by:
a) Trustees;
b) employee or employee group;
c) student or parent;
d) a resident of the district.

4. The Board Committee shall decide by majority vote whether or not any further consideration should be given to the policy proposal.

5. If the Board Committee declines to give consideration to the policy proposal, a trustee may submit it in the form of a Notice of Motion to the next meeting of the Board for consideration under the appropriate Standing Committee report. (Bylaw 9368 Procedures at Board Meetings).

6. If the Board Committee decides to give further consideration to a policy proposal, it shall

a. recommend the process by which the proposed policy will be further developed;
b. give preliminary directions as to the content and format of the proposed policy; and
c. recommend the composition or recommend the manner of composition of any Ad Hoc committee charged with the development of the policy.

7. The Board committee shall submit its decisions on a policy proposal to the next meeting of the Board for the Board’s consideration. The Board may confirm, reject, or modify the policy proposal, the directions as to the content and format of the proposed policy, and the process for the further development of the policy. The Board may direct that further public input be obtained concerning the policy proposal.

B. ARTICLE TWO – DEVELOPMENT OF A POLICY PROPOSAL

1. A Working Committee shall prepare a draft policy proposal after consulting with and obtaining the input of persons or groups significantly affected by the policy proposal.

2. The Working Committee shall submit the policy proposal to the appropriate Board Committee, supported by a report which will summarize both the information gathered by the Working Committee and the input of consulted parties.

3. The Board committee shall review the draft policy and make such changes to it as it considers appropriate or refer it back to the Working Committee for revision or for further development.

4. If the Board Committee approves the draft policy in principle, it shall submit the draft policy and the report and recommendations of the Working Committee to the next meeting of the Board.
5. The Board may approve the policy as drafted by the Board Committee, reject the policy, make such revisions to the policy as it deems appropriate, require further public input or give such other directions or make such other referrals as it deems appropriate.

C. ARTICLE THREE – ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A POLICY

1. A policy presented for approval and adoption by the Board shall be in the following form:

RATIONALE FOR POLICY

• the rationale for the policy shall be set out in successively lettered paragraphs

DEFINITIONS

• an explanation of the meaning of terms used in the policy

POLICY STATEMENT

• the substance of the policy shall be set out in successively numbered paragraphs

RESPONSIBILITIES

• an explanation of the responsibilities related to the policy

REFERENCES

• a listing of the sources of information used to develop the policy

2. The Board may give such directions, if any, for the implementation of the policy as it deems appropriate and may require that regulations drafted by the administration be brought back to the Board for approval.

3. If the Board does not give specific directions for administrative regulations the Superintendent shall prepare such regulations in accordance with By-law 9220.

4. Administration shall prepare a report with respect to the implementation of a policy which report shall be presented to the Board on or before the earlier of the following dates:

a. that date one year after the adoption of the policy
b. that date fixed by the Board for presentation of such a report

5. The Board may review the implementation of the policy or give such directions to Administration or a Board committee for reports on or directions for the implementation of the policy.

Minor Updating Process

From time to time minor updating of a policy is needed to reflect current nomenclature and other operational requirements. Types of minor updating are new position descriptions, gender language, number sequences and organization of manuals where required. Minor updating will be done without submission of each updated policy to the Board. The Board will be advised in writing of any such updates for their information. This process will not change the intent
of any documents.

Greater Victoria School District
Adopted: February 26, 1990
Revised: January 1997
Adopted: February 25, 2002
Reviewed: March 2012
Revised: November 27, 2017