Rochester board rescinds civic-education policy, forwards several policies to business meeting

The Rochester City School District Board of Education voted to rescind Policy 43.11.2, the district’s civic-education policy, during its Aug. 12 work session and forwarded several other policy updates to the upcoming business meeting for final action.

The vote to rescind was made by motion, carried by the board and recorded as 5–2. Commissioner LeBron moved to rescind the policy; Vice President Malloy seconded the motion. President Simmons said the rescission will be reflected on board docs and that a resolution number will be assigned later.

Why it matters: Commissioners debated whether the district should retain local policy language that largely mirrors New York State civic-readiness requirements or remove district-level policy when state law already governs the subject. Supporters of rescission argued the requirement is state-mandated and that local policy duplicates law; opponents said keeping a district policy signals seriousness and can help secure implementation and local supports.

What happened in the meeting

- The discussion opened after staff introduced Policy 43.11.2 (civic education) and presented New York State guidance on civic readiness, including the state’s “seal of civic readiness” and suggested curricular elements. State monitor and staff said resources already exist through NYSED to support civic-readiness work.

- Commissioners split on approach. Commissioner Santiago said: "I don't believe the answer is in policy; it's in the operation," urging the board to focus on how the district implements civic education. Commissioner LeBron argued, in essence, that "we don't need a policy when something is law." Other commissioners said a local policy could strengthen commitment and implementation, particularly for students in Black and Brown communities, while some said implementation and partnerships with outside agencies (for example, the board of elections) are more important than the policy text.

- After debate, Commissioner LeBron moved to rescind Policy 43.11.2; Vice President Malloy seconded. The chair called the vote and the board carried the motion (recorded 5–2). President Simmons said a resolution number will be assigned and that the board waived the usual three readings required by Policy 24.10 (policy management) for this rescission.

- The board also moved other posted policy items and administrative motions toward the August business meeting for final votes. Commissioners voted to forward Policy 42.05, 42.06, 5000 and 5153 to the business meeting (motion carried; Commissioner Santiago recorded a nay on that motion). Policy 67.50 (vendor relations) was amended to remove the disparity-report deliverable from the policy language and the revised policy was carried to the business meeting for final action (Commissioner Santiago recorded a nay on both the change and the forwarding vote).

- The board removed one administrative resolution (an agreement tied to School of the Arts and the University of Rochester, listed in the draft packet) from the consent agenda to allow staff to supply additional information about the $6,000 annual payment cited in the agreement.

Votes at a glance

- Rescind Policy 43.11.2 (civic education): Motion to rescind carried; recorded tally 5–2; mover: Commissioner LeBron; second: Vice President Malloy; outcome: rescinded. (Resolution number to be assigned.)

- Policy 40.95 (High school to post-secondary education): Board agreed to defer further action and move detailed implementation discussion to the October work session to allow the superintendent time to present operational plans.

- Policies 42.05, 42.06, 5000, 5153: Board voted to forward these policies to the August business meeting for a final vote (motion carried; Commissioner Santiago recorded a nay).

- Policy 67.50 (vendor relations): Board voted to remove the disparity-study deliverable from the policy text (motion carried; Commissioner Santiago recorded a nay), and to forward the revised policy to the business meeting (motion carried; Commissioner Santiago recorded a nay).

- Administrative resolution related to School of the Arts and University of Rochester (packet item): Pulled from consent agenda pending additional information from staff about the nature of a cited $6,000 payment.

Discussion vs. decision: The transcript makes a clear distinction between expression of preferences and formal board action. Commissioners repeatedly said they preferred either local policy or operational fixes; the only formal, recorded decisions in this segment were the rescission of Policy 43.11.2 and the votes to forward or amend the other policies listed above.

Clarifying details and next steps

- President Simmons announced the board will assign a rescission resolution number and that Policy 24.10 (policy management) was waived for the rescission process. Staff will post the formal rescission documentation to board docs.

- Superintendent Rosser and staff were asked to return with operational details for Policy 40.95 (post-secondary supports) and will prepare a presentation for the October work session.

- The School of the Arts agreement was pulled from the consent agenda so the administration can present additional background and cost justification at the business meeting.

Ending: The board’s decisions remove the local civic-education policy but leave open multiple operational and implementation issues that staff and the superintendent were asked to address at future meetings.