Policies guide both the instructional program and the management of the district and its schools.

Policy services include sample and model policies, policy updates, Policies Online, policy manual major revision and on-site workshops.

Districts subscribing to the policy update service receive information on changes in law, sample policies, a review of board-written policies, printing of all adopted or revised policies and a review of meeting minutes.

Districts can contract with SCSBA to post and update their board policy manuals on their own web sites through the Policies Online program.

Policy & Legislative Update
SCSBA 2009 Policy and Legislative Update is here! The annual report highlights significant education-related bills passed by the General Assembly this year, provides policy references, summaries of amended state regulations and recommended district action.

2009 Policy and Legislative Update: Word, PDF
2008 Policy and Legislative Update: Word, PDF
2007 Policy and Legislative Update: Word
2006 Policy and Legislative Update: Word

Sexual misconduct and molestation prevention

One of the major steps a district can take to prevent sexual misconduct in schools is to have appropriate board policies in place. There are many code areas throughout the entire policy manual that are relevant to this issue.

Following are group of model policies that SCSBA recommends to assist districts in addressing the problem of sexual misconduct and molestation. The code and title are provided as well as a brief explanation of any new information. We recommend you review and consider these policies and/or check your existing policies for similar information.

AC Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity
JB Equal Educational Opportunity/Nondiscrimination
JLF Student Welfare
GBAA Sexual Discrimination and Harassment
JI, -R, -E Student Rights and Responsibilities
GBEB Staff Conduct
GBEBB, -R Staff Conduct with Students
IJOB/IJOC, -R Resource Persons/School Volunteers

Educator Sexual Misconduct What School Staff Need to Know and Do: Helpful Hints
This publication discusses taking an all-hazards approach to educator sexual misconduct focusing on prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. Specifically, it defines educator sexual misconduct and then discusses what is known about the individuals who commit this type of abuse, the prevalence of the problem, and what can be done to address this problem in schools. Finally, the publication provides a sample list of school district behavioral guidelines governing adult-student interactions and an outline of the three phases of adult educator sex offender exploitation.
Helpful Hints

Policies Online

Policies Online Policy Services now offers each school district the opportunity to contract with SCSBA to post the district's entire policy manual online at the district's website.

SCSBA will process and transmit the policy revisions as usual. The number of revisions is unlimited. In addition, the district receives a hard copy. Costs include an annual fee and update charges.

These school districts are currently participating in Policies Online.

All districts subscribing to SCSBA's online policy service below have access to a password protected "multi-district search" program. This feature allows the user to quickly and easily search the policy manuals of 46 districts or any specific district(s) on a policy topic. The results may be viewed or printed out as needed to answer relevant questions. Here is how: when opening your online board policy manual, click on "multi-district search" in the format box on the first page or on the table of contents page (scroll down to an click on "Additional Information of Interest"). Printable instructions for completing the search are located under the "Quick Start Instructions" box, "Detailed User Guide."