Quincy board adopts several policies on second reading, members seek clarity on affirmative-action language

The Quincy School District board approved second readings of several policies, including Policy 5010, after a discussion about how the policy and linked procedures address affirmative-action obligations.

At the second-reading discussion a board member (Chair, Speaker 1) raised concerns that the draft policy appeared to remove explicit "affirmative action" wording. "It seems that there's a move to remove from the policy the wording of affirmative action," the board member said, asking whether the policy and accompanying procedure would still satisfy legal requirements.

Staff response: legal counsel and staff reviewed the wording and the linked procedure and pointed out that the policy references an equal-opportunity plan and that the procedure contains grievance and complaint steps. Staff said the procedure can be adjusted and returned to the board with clearer cross-references to assure compliance with state requirements.

Motion and vote: Superintendent (Speaker 5) moved to adopt policies 1111, 2106, 2108, 2140 and 5010; the motion was seconded by a board member (Speaker 4) and passed on a voice vote in the second-reading action.

What it means: Staff emphasized that the procedure (separate from policy) can be edited and re-circulated with markup before final procedural implementation. The board asked for the correct linked procedure to be attached to future agendas to avoid confusion arising from multiple drafts.

Next steps: Staff committed to sending the lawyer's email and ensuring the correct procedure is attached to the next agenda; the board agreed to review the procedure's grievance sections and to bring clarifying edits back if needed.