Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy Revisions Restorative Practices topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Policy committee reviews multiple proposed policy updates including kindergarten start date, non-lapsing fund reporting and restorative-practices policy
Summary
Staff presented several proposed policy changes Sept. 9, including updating Policy 5111 for a September kindergarten start, amending Policy 3171 to add an annual reporting requirement, adopting a restorative-practices policy drafted by Shipman Goodwin, and making technical edits to identify the district's Title IX contact.
At the Sept. 9 policy committee meeting, central office staff reviewed several proposed policy updates and technical edits and said they will proceed with the recommended changes and report them to the full board.
Ms. Latour said the revisions include a straightforward update to Policy 5111 to reflect the state's change moving kindergarten start from January to September; the committee treated that as a clerical update required by the change in state practice. Staff also presented proposed changes to Policy 3171 (the non-lapsing education fund) to align with language staff cited from ‘‘Public Act 25 93, sections 35 through 27''; the recommended text clarifies that the board must compile an annual report that includes, but is not limited to, the account's total balance, the amount deposited into the 2% fund in a fiscal year, and an accounting of expenditures. Staff said those reporting requirements are already being performed in operations meetings and that the policy language was being updated to match the statutory requirements.
The committee also reviewed a newly drafted restorative-practices policy (policy number to be assigned) generated by the law firm Shipman Goodwin. Staff described the policy as broad and intended to give the district discretion in implementing restorative practices consistent with the Connecticut School Climate Plan; administrators received legislative updates and training over the summer, and staff said the new policy would provide an internal pathway to implement restorative practices for conflicts and challenging behaviors.
Separately, staff proposed broad technical edits across several policies and regulations (community, personnel and student series) to update the named contact for discrimination and Title IX investigations; the committee was told state practice requires a specific named individual, title and contact information be listed in the policies so the public has a clear point of contact. Because the edits are technical (name and title updates rather than substantive policy changes), staff said they would make the changes administratively this week and note them at the next full-board meeting.
No formal policy changes were adopted at the committee meeting; staff were directed to make the technical edits and to bring substantive revisions back through the committee process as required.
