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Board seeks clarity on policy handbook, state mandates and parent communication after AP African American Studies debate
Summary
Directors asked staff where the board should look in the school’s policy documents when state mandates change, and members urged improved communication to families about instructional-materials decisions after parent concerns about AP African American Studies.
Board members asked for clearer guidance on where to find authority in the school handbook and policies when state-level education mandates change, and they urged the school to improve communication with families after parents raised questions about the status of AP African American Studies and related instructional materials.
When asked how the school responds to state legislative changes, the board’s counsel described an established review process. "There's a consortium of districts, principally in North Florida. PACE is the name of it, The Panhandle Area Consortium for Education. And they, at the end of the legislative session, tracked the laws that have passed that affect legislative action. Those are sent to the school," the attorney stated, explaining that the policy committee and counsel review statutory changes and recommend actions to the board.
Board members and the director discussed the limited content of the current policy handbook on instructional materials. A board member asked whether there is a specific section that directly addresses changes in state guidance for instructional materials; staff answered that Florida Department of Education–approved lists are the source of instructional-materials approvals and that the policy committee and counsel review state model language when statutes change.
Several directors reported receiving multiple calls from parents concerned about the school’s handling of the AP African American Studies course and said parents largely learned about the situation from news reports rather than directly from the school. "They just didn't hear. Even if it was articulated clearly, we gotta do more because the parents who had students in those classes ... they didn't get it from the school. They got it from the paper," said Dr. Davis.
Board members asked staff to identify where the handbook or bylaws provide guidance for responding to state mandates and to return with clear references the board can use when reviewing instructional-materials decisions. The attorney and policy committee members offered to follow up with targeted language or references and to bring recommended revisions back to the board for action if needed. No formal policy changes were adopted at the workshop.
