Policymaking is one of the board's most important functions. Through policy, the board sets goals for the entire school system and provides directives for administrators and other staff to follow while working toward achieving the goals.
One hot policy topic school districts are facing is bullying. School boards have a responsibility to provide an environment that is conducive to learning and to provide for the well-being of students while they are at school. Bullying disrupts the learning process, and leads to depression, fear, emotional distress, etc. for those students who are victims. With the widespread use of social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook, cyberbullying has also become a concern for school officials. However, many districts can and are taking steps to reduce bullying through effective policy-making and school awareness programs.The Wisconsin Association of School Boards’ resources regarding bullying are only some of the policy-related resources available to member school districts. To make sound policy decisions – whether the policy development concern is spurred by legislative directives, emerging issues or local needs – districts need accurate, up-to-date information. The WASB’s Policy Services staff continually strive to develop, collect and disseminate the latest information to guide member school districts in their policy development. Your WASB membership entitles your district to have access to this information.
Specifically, your WASB membership entitles your district to:
- Have access to WASB Policy Library Resources. Information on a variety of school issues is available to WASB members upon request through the WASB Policy Library Resources. These resources include articles and sample policies from Wisconsin school districts. To receive such resources, contact any Policy Services Consultant.
- Receive the WASB's policy publications Policy Perspectives and The FOCUS.
- Contact a WASB Policy Consultant for assistance. If your district has a question relating to policy, all you have to do is contact any Policy Services Consultant for assistance. They will discuss related policy considerations with you and offer policy development suggestions.
In addition, your WASB membership entitles your district to have a WASB Policy Consultant work directly with your district on policy development or updating via a policy reviewing or consulting project.
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