One of the Olympia School Board's responsibilities is to establish policies, which are essentially governing documents by which the Olympia School District operates.
Last summer, the board set a goal to review all district policies, starting with the 1000 series that pertain to the Olympia School District Board of Directors. The board completed that series in fall and is currently reviewing the 4000 series: Community Relations.
The board invites students, employees and the community to share feedback, including questions or comments, about the policies. Input will be shared with the school board as it moves forward with the policy review process.
Policies currently being reviewed are posted on a new “Board Policy Review” Web page on the Olympia School District website. A dedicated email address has also been set up for the community to comment or ask questions about the policies: [email protected]
The board held a first reading on five board policies during the January 8, 2018 board meeting. These five policies will return for a second reading and possible action at the next regularly scheduled board meeting on January 22, 2018. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Garfield Elementary School.
The five policies currently being reviewed are:
- 4110 Citizen Advisory Committees and Task Forces
- 4310 District Relationships with Law Enforcement and Other Governmental Agencies
- 4315 Release of Information Concerning Sexual and Kidnapping Offenders
- 4320 Cooperative Programs with Other Districts and Public Agencies
- 4400 Election Activities
There are several ways to provide input in this board policy review process:
- The public is welcome to comment about policies or other topics of interest during Olympia School Board meetings. Time is set aside for public comment near the start of open board meetings, and those who wish to speak are asked to sign in on a form placed near the entrance to each meeting. See a list of 2017-18 board meetings. Learn more about the protocol for speaking during public board meetings.
- Email comments or questions about the policies being reviewed to the new district email address especially created for this current board policy review process. The following email is monitored daily, and questions will be answered in the order they are received: [email protected]
- Contact Pam Barker, executive assistant to the Olympia School District Superintendent, at 360-596-6114.
- Email or call Olympia School Board members directly. Contact information for board members, including their phone numbers and email addresses, is featured with their photos on the Board of Directors Web page.
The district's complete compilation of policies include:
- 1000 series - Board of Directors
- 2000 series – Instruction
- 3000 series – Students
- 4000 series - Community Relations
- 5000 series – Personnel
- 6000 series - Management Support
Once the school board has finished reviewing the 4000 series, it will move to a new series.