Memphis-Shelby board committee reviews nine policy changes, asks to adopt two by Oct. 27

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools policy committee reviewed proposed revisions to nine district policies on Oct. 21 and asked the board to suspend rules so two policies — the district data dashboard policy and the annual operating budget policy — could be considered for adoption on first reading at the Oct. 27 board meeting.

The committee presentation focused on alignment with state law and internal priorities. Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond and staff said the data dashboard and budget-policy suspensions would remain in effect until Jan. 27 to allow the superintendent’s evaluation targets and the district’s key performance indicators to be aligned with the academic plan and district priorities.

Why it matters: The two requested suspensions would accelerate adoption of governance and budget rules that shape how the district sets priorities and tracks performance. Other proposed revisions respond to state law changes (student wellness, interscholastic athletics) or seek to clarify internal authority (conflict of interest, general counsel authority).

Key policy revisions and clarifications - Data dashboard (temporary suspension requested): Staff recommended suspending the dashboard policy until Jan. 27 to align superintendent evaluation targets and district KPIs with the current academic plan; Bill White’s research team is building the dashboard and will provide technical details.

- Annual Operating Budget (policy 02/2001; suspension requested): Suspension until Jan. 27 was recommended so the board can establish and approve district priorities that will guide budget development.

- Student wellness (statutory revision; policy 03/2007): The revision implements a state law change requiring elementary students to receive 40 minutes per school day of unstructured physical activity (previously 130 minutes per week). Staff described the activity as unstructured play outside, not physical education class, and said implementation details (who supervises, whether time is split across the day, accommodations for inclement weather) will be worked out by administration and communicated to schools.

- Grading (policies 5014 and 5015): Revisions align with state law requiring local boards to include on report cards the most recent universal reading-screener or dyslexia-screener scores; language also allows the superintendent to delegate responsibilities.

- Interscholastic athletics (policy 6051): Changes align the district with a state law allowing virtual-school students an opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletics; the policy also permits superintendent delegation.

- Conflict of interest (red page 28): The scope would be narrowed to apply to Memphis-Shelby County Schools employees (removing vendors/suppliers). Senior-level employees would file annual disclosure statements; other employees would disclose potential conflicts when they arise and, when possible, before engaging in the activity.

- Student conduct (policy 6022; point of information on red page 58): Revisions reflect state requirements about reporting credible threats to law enforcement and require…