File: BGB

POLICY ADOPTION

Adoption of new policies or changing existing policies is solely the responsibility of the Agawam School Committee. Policies shall be adopted and/or amended only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the School Committee when such action has been scheduled on the agenda of a regular or special meeting.

To permit time for study of all new policies or amendments to policies and to provide an opportunity for interested parties to react, proposed policies or amendments shall be presented as an agenda item to the Committee in the following sequence:

1. Information item distribution with agenda (this may be an announcement that a policy is being developed in a particular area and that interested persons may submit suggestions.)

2. Discussion item first reading of proposed policy or policies; response from Superintendent; report from any Committee advisory committee assigned responsibility in the area; Committee discussion and directions for any redrafting.

3. Action item discussion, adoption or rejection.

Amendments to the policy at the action stage will not require repetition of the sequence, unless the Committee so directs.

In instances, the School Committee may dispense with the above sequence to meet emergency conditions.

Policies shall be effective upon the date set by the School Committee. This date shall ensure that affected persons have an opportunity to become familiar with the requirements of the new policy prior to its implementation.

Except in an emergency situation, policies should not be adopted at the meeting at which they are initially introduced.

Agawam Public Schools