School Board Policy

School board policy provides a legal and administrative framework governing a board's procedures, decisions, and actions. Policy at the school district level addresses both direct and indirect functions of schooling. Policies adopted by local school boards ordinarily control student academic achievement levels, curricula, instruction, and grading as well as student enrollment, attendance, discipline, and disciplinary removal procedures. Matters involving board election procedures, board meeting protocols, and board decision-making processes are also codified in board policies. In addition, policies control board fiscal activities such as payroll, purchasing, facilities, and transportation as well as personnel matters relating to contracts, employee evaluation, and dismissal. This entry describes some relevant court rulings and current issues.

Insofar as the U.S. Constitution makes no mention of public education as a right, it ...