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Committee debates scope of psychological testing and placement policy; consideration to sunset or rewrite postponed
Summary
Board members questioned whether a one-paragraph Policy 2301 adequately covers psychological testing, screenings and student evaluations; some members suggested sunsetting the policy, staff to research statutory ties and impacts before the committee reconvenes.
The governance committee reviewed Policy 2301 (Psychological Testing, Screening, Student Evaluation and Placement) and several board members said the current one-paragraph draft lacks sufficient purpose language and detail to communicate the board—s intent.
Miss Maron and others asked whether the policy should explicitly acknowledge services provided in partnership with other agencies (for example, telehealth or community mental-health partners) and whether district-provided psychological services are intended to supplement — not replace — private counseling when families use external providers. Doctor Anderson and Miss Dixon asked for a clearer purpose statement describing when psychological testing and screening are used (for academic identification, IEP/504 processes, threat assessments or other supports).
Some members proposed sunsetting the policy because the practice and requirements for evaluations and screenings are addressed through special education regulations, state standards and other operational documents; Miss Lady asked staff to research the statutory/regulatory dependencies and the potential consequences of removing the policy. Mr. Foster (legal counsel) said he would check for any statutory requirement that would compel keeping a stand-alone policy. The committee paused further action because of time constraints and planned to resume discussion at a reconvened meeting with additional staff information on statutory links and operational impacts.
No final action was taken; staff were asked to return with an impact analysis, relevant statutes or regulations, and recommended next steps (redraft, consolidate into other policy, or sunset) for committee review.
