Chapter 2 - School Board Governance

Chapter 2.0 Table of Contents

2.10 Scope of the School District
2.11 Membership of the School Board
2.12 Orientation of Board Members
2.13 Responsibilities and Authority of the Board
2.14 Superintendent Evaluation
2.15 Constituent Service
2.16 Districtwide Planning, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
2.17 Operational Accountability Policy
2.18 Data Dashboard
2.19 Management Oversight
2.20 Professional Development and Standards for Certificated Personnel
2.21 Professional Development Inservice for Non-Instructional Personnel
2.22 Board Member Request for Information
2.23 Organization and Officers of the Board
2.24 Salary of School Board Members
2.25 School Board Rules
2.26 Board Meeting Protocol and Format
2.27 Schedule for Legal Advertisements
2.28 Board Responsibility for Collective Bargaining
2.29 Legal Counsel for School Board Members and Employees
2.30 Participation in Organizational Activities
2.31 Board Member Use of Procurement Card
2.32 School Advisory Council
2.33 School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)
2.34 District Student Government Association
2.35 Board Committees
2.36 Arts Advisory Council
2.37 Internal Board Auditor Evaluation
2.38 Audit Advisory Committee

2.10 SCOPE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

The School Board is the governing body of the District and is responsible for the control, operation, organization, management, and administration of public schools in the county pursuant to the provisions and minimum standards prescribed by the Florida Constitution, Florida Statutes and State Board of Education rules.
The District school system is part of the state system of public education and includes all public schools, classes, and courses of instruction and all services and activities directly related to education in the District which are under the District school officials’ directions.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.30, 1001.31, 1001.32, 1001.33, 1001.41, 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: NOVEMBER 10, 2008 REVISION DATE(S): N/A FORMERLY: NEW

2.11 MEMBERSHIP OF THE SCHOOL BOARD

The School Board of Duval County shall consist of seven (7) members, each of whom shall be nominated and elected only by the qualified electors who reside in the same residence area as the member. Each member is elected for a term of four (4) years and shall maintain said residency throughout the duration of his/her term of office. Said residency means the School Board member residence area from which he/she was elected. School Board members shall be elected and any vacancies filled pursuant to Florida Constitution.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.34, 1001.35, 1001.36, 1001.362, F.S. CITY CHARTER: ARTICLE 13 HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008 FORMERLY: BBB

2.12 ORIENTATION OF BOARD MEMBERS

It is the intent of the Duval County School Board members that newly elected members will be given a comprehensive orientation into their new role as quickly as possible following their election. Members elected (whether in the Primary or the General Election) will be: (1) invited to attend all workshops and board meetings, and (2) provided an orientation with the Board Office staff and each department area, as designated by the Superintendent, to better understand the operations of the District. These meetings will also include how board policy impacts and affects their work as Board members. This orientation will include, but not be limited to, the following components in a notebook and/or electronic document for reference, and shared verbally by the Board Chairperson, the Superintendent, Office of General Counsel, etc., or their respective designees as appropriate for the matter:

Explanation of each District department and its role in supporting student achievement. (Superintendent)
Explanation of the difference between board meetings, board workshops, committee assignments, and special meetings. (Office of General Counsel)
Explanation of General Counsel’s role with the Board/Superintendent and the role of the Board in quasi-judicial matters. (Office of General Counsel)
Full explanation of the School Board Members role vs. the Superintendent. (Office of General Counsel)
Briefing on the budget. (Superintendent and Internal Board Auditor)
Process for setting agenda and for distribution a week before the meeting. (Office of General Counsel)
Briefing on all pending/possible issues for the immediate future. (Superintendent, Board Chairperson, and Office of General Counsel)
Explanation and review of the District strategic plan. (Superintendent)
Review of Constituent Services and Board Member Requests procedures and processes. This should include how to initiate a Constituent Services item, the process used to investigate the item, and follow-up protocols. This review should include information on communicating with other Board members in accordance with Sunshine Laws. (Superintendent and Office of General Counsel)
A review of all quarterly, annual, or other reports which Board Members receive during the course of a calendar year. (Superintendent)
Review of statutory requirements for training/professional development. (Office of General Counsel)
Overview of Board Policies, include the process for reviewing and updating policies, and providing reports as prescribed in policy. (Office of General Counsel)
Explanation of health care or other benefits received by Board Members. (Superintendent)
Overview of technology equipment, Acceptable Use Policy, and usage of a district phone. (Superintendent)
Facilities Master Plan historical overview and current status for individual board member district, as well as the full district. (Superintendent)
Oversight and Audit Committee overview and appointment requirements. (Office of General Counsel)
Review of legislative process and responsibilities. (Superintendent)
Instruction on accessing school data, agenda database, voting system, and other electronic resources. (Superintendent and Board Chairperson)
Review of Board Member to Board Member protocols and usage of Board Office staff. (Board Chairperson)

Each board member will sign off that she/he has received the orientation, understands the information that has been shared, and agrees to abide by Board policy. Those signatures of participation will be kept on file in the board office.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.41, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: AUGUST 5, 2008 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008, APRIL 3, 2018, JANUARY 7, 2019, MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BB

2.13 RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITY OF THE BOARD

The Board, acting as a legislative body, shall exercise all powers and perform all duties conferred upon it by law. Although board members act as individuals while interacting with, and advocating on behalf of, their constituents, all Board members shall work collectively and collaboratively on behalf of all students throughout the District.

The School Board is responsible for the organization and control of the District school system and is empowered to determine the policies necessary for its operation and general improvement of the District. Operating as an independent agency of consolidated government, the School Board shall govern all local school matters and shall limit its actions to establishing policies and to meeting the requirements prescribed by Florida Statutes, State Board of Education Rules, and the Charter of the City of Jacksonville. School Board members have authority only when the School Board is meeting in official session and a quorum is present. The School Board shall not be bound in any way by any action on the part of an individual School Board member or any employee, except when such statement or action is in compliance with the action of the School Board. School Board members may visit the schools and all departments of the District to be better informed concerning all phases of the District school system.
The role of the School Board, as with any legislative body, is to act collectively, not individually. The authority and responsibility of individual School Board members does not extend to the execution of the policies adopted by the School Board. Individual School Board members have no authority and shall not attempt to act as administrators of the District school system.
Appeals from judicial decisions and administrative orders shall be authorized only by the School Board.
The function of the District school system personnel, under the Superintendent's direction, is to support the implementation of School Board policies. Accordingly, their efforts are responsive to the School Board as an entity rather than to individual School Board members.
Board members shall utilize the Constituent Services system to gain information and data necessary to provide service to constituents. The right to full information extends to the duty to listen to complaints that citizens bring him/her. Complaints registered with a School Board member should be conveyed to the Superintendent through the Constituent Services System.
Requests for formal opinions, actions or directives made of the Office of General Counsel by individual School Board members shall be initiated through the School Board Chairperson or shall have majority approval of the School Board. This does not preclude individual Board members from consulting with the Office of General Counsel for advice or information.
Development and revision of the District Strategic Plan shall be the responsibility of the Board, after receiving input from all stakeholder groups.
The Board shall be responsible for approving and monitoring the District’s annual budget.
THE BOARD JOB DESCRIPTION
1. Focus on policy making, planning, monitoring and evaluation in collaboration with the Superintendent in support to further the District’s mission, core values, and strategic objectives, rather than on day to day operations.
2. Set explicit priorities as a Board for the District in collaboration with the Superintendent and make sure that each member of the Board and the community is aware of these priorities.
3. Choose, direct, evaluate, and set clear goals for the Superintendent.
4. Make decisions as a whole Board only at properly called meetings. Board members recognize that individual members have no authority to take individual action in policy or in District and school administrative matters.
5. Support decisions of the majority after honoring the right of individual members to express opposing viewpoints and vote their convictions.
6. Recognize and respect the Superintendent’s authority to manage the District and to direct employees in District and school matters.
7. Operate as community representatives and make decisions in the best interest of all students in the District. Value the role of the Board in the community and represent the District, when possible, at community functions.
8. Strive sincerely to build better relationships and work as a governance team with one another and the Superintendent.
9. Recognize and respect the authority of the administration to communicate with vendors regarding specific purchasing decisions.
10. Develop the Strategic Plan, in collaboration with all District stakeholders.
OPERATIONAL AGREEMENTS FOR MEETINGS
1. Uphold the legal requirement for confidentiality on all matters arising from Board meeting executive sessions.
2. Start and end meetings on time.
3. Attend regularly scheduled board and committee meetings. Cooperate in scheduling special meetings and/or work sessions for planning and training purposes. Advise staff if unable to attend or arriving late.
4. Prepare before each meeting. Documents will be provided in advance of meetings in accordance with board office protocols. Communicate directly with the Superintendent prior to meetings of the Board to address questions and/or concerns about agenda items.
5. Cast a vote on all matters except when a conflict of interest arises.
COMMUNICATION AGREEMENTS
1. The Board speaks to the media through the Board Chairman. Should the Board Chairperson be unavailable, the Vice-Chairperson will assume this role. In the event that neither are available, the Board Chairperson may
  designate a Board Member to speak to the media.
2. No individual Board member, regardless of his or her position, has the authority to speak for the Board, with the exception of Section XI(A).
3. While individual Board members always reserve the right to speak independently to the press, Board Members are encouraged to coordinate interactions with the media through the appropriate personnel in the Communications Division.
4. Board members are encouraged not to criticize another Board member or the Board in the media.
5. Communicate directly with the Superintendent when a question arises, or when a concern is voiced by a staff member, student, parent, or other community member with the understanding that the Superintendent will inform Board members regarding the status or resolution of the matter consistent with Board office protocols, via the Constituent Services System.
6. Board Members do not engage in individual District personnel issues. Specific personnel issues submitted to the Board or individual Board members will be referred to the Superintendent with the understanding that the Superintendent or designee will inform Board members of the status or resolution of the issue consistent with Board office protocol.
7. Board members do not engage in any pupil placement issues, especially regarding Magnets, Choice, and Special Assignments. All pupil placement issues will be referred to the Superintendent.
8. Listen carefully and with courtesy when other people are speaking during Board meetings.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.32, 1001.363, 1001.372(1), 1001.41, 1001.42, 1001.43, 1003.02, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; NOVEMBER 9, 2010; APRIL 3, 2018; JANUARY 7, 2019; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BBA

2.14 SUPERINTENDENT EVALUATION

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to set forth the roles and responsibilities of the Duval County School Board in the performance evaluation of the Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (С��ߣ). The most important and fundamental responsibility of the Duval County School Board is the employment of the Superintendent. As the governance team, the Board and Superintendent hold themselves accountable for the continuous improvement of С��ߣ. The Board is responsible for defining success for С��ߣ by formulating goals, objectives and policies for the operation of the district and for ensuring that the Superintendent effectively manages the school district through successful implementation of these goals, objectives and policies. As such, the Duval County School Board commits to an ongoing process of evaluating the Superintendent’s performance throughout the year with frequent honest discussions between Board members and the Superintendent regarding the performance of the school district. The annual process will include a formal, summative, written evaluation and at least one interim informal performance review of the Superintendent. The formal evaluation will consist of both qualitative and quantitative components and will be aligned with the District’s Strategic Plan. The Board will determine the components and values of the formal evaluation no later than the month of June each year (and if no action, then the Board will use the prior annual evaluation instrument). This process will provide for constructive feedback on the Superintendent’s performance, the intent being the continuous improvement of the Duval County Public School District.

OBJECTIVES

The Board shall strive to accomplish the following objectives in conducting the Superintendent’s written evaluation:

Ensure administrative leadership for excellence in the District.
Develop and sustain a harmonious working relationship between the Board and the Superintendent through honest and constructive communication regarding goals and performance.
Clarify and align the expectations of the Board and Superintendent with the district’s Core Beliefs and Commitments and Theory of Action.
Clarify the Superintendent’s role according to the Board’s written criteria, as expressed in the Superintendent’s job description and the District’s goals and objectives.
Determine strengths, weaknesses and professional development needs of the Superintendent.
Foster an understanding among Board members and the community of the evaluation process and the Superintendent’s current performance objectives and priorities.

EVALUATION INSTRUMENT

The Superintendent’s evaluation instrument, approved by the Board, will utilize performance criteria from testing data and from the Strategic Plan, which will be submitted by the Superintendent to each Board Member in the form of a “Data Notebook.” The Superintendent may elect to place this document on an appropriate electronic platform. If an electronic copy is provided, individual Board Members reserve the option of requesting a paper copy. The order in which the indicators are listed in the evaluation instrument does not reflect the relative priority of the indicators. The Board and Superintendent will establish performance goals for the Superintendent as part of the evaluation process for the subsequent school year.

SUPERINTENDENT SELF-APPRAISAL

In keeping with the timeline identified within the Superintendent’s contract, the Superintendent will submit to the Board a Self-Appraisal which shall address the following questions:

What do you consider to be your accomplishments during the last school year?
What goals were not accomplished during this year and what factors prevented their completion?
What do you feel should be your primary goals for the next school year?
Other questions that have been previously identified and mutually agreed upon by the Board and Superintendent.

Each Board Member will receive a copy of the Superintendent’s Self-Appraisal which will be used in completing the evaluation of the Superintendent.

TIMING AND PROCESS

The Superintendent shall annually submit for the Board’s consideration and adoption a list of goals for the district which shall reflect and put into action as a part of the Strategic Plan. The final goals approved by the Board shall be committed to writing, whether by Board minutes or otherwise, and shall be among the criteria on which the Superintendent’s performance will be reviewed and evaluated.

The annual evaluation process will include a formal, written evaluation and at least one interim informal performance assessment. This annual cycle will provide for a periodic, systematic and constructive forum for dialogue between the Superintendent and the Board regarding district goals and progress.

The Board shall annually conduct the formal, written summative performance evaluation of the Superintendent within the timeline identified in the Superintendent’s contract, which shall occur no later than November 1st of each year unless otherwise indicated in the Superintendent’s contract. The Board must use the most recently approved Superintendent Evaluation Instrument. In keeping with the timeline identified within the contract, the Superintendent will submit to the Board his/her self-appraisal. Each Board member will then complete the Superintendent Evaluation Instrument and meet individually with the Superintendent to discuss the completed evaluation. This evaluation process shall include full, fair, and frank exchange between the Superintendent and the Board and fair opportunity for the Superintendent to respond to comments of individual members of the Board. All such meetings and discussions with the Board and Superintendent shall be conducted in accordance with state laws governing public meetings.

After all board members complete their individual evaluations with the Superintendent, the Board shall develop a press release/board statement to accompany the individual evaluations and the Superintendent’s self-evaluation for release to the media.

POLICY REVIEW

This policy shall be reviewed annually in the month of January by the School Board’s Evaluation Committee.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.50, 1001.41 F. S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.41 F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: OCTOBER 7, 2008 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; OCTOBER 5, 2010; JUNE 11, 2012; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BBAA

2.15 CONSTITUENT SERVICE

PURPOSE

The purpose of the policy is to outline a process for Board member service to constituents. Board members must provide service to constituents but should not involve themselves in problem management.

This policy sets forth standards and describes processes. It is the intention of the School Board to meet these standards and follow these processes.

COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW:

The Duval County School Board and individual Board Members will follow all State laws and regulations regarding the prohibitions of Board involvement in management.

DEFINING CONSTITUENT SERVICE:

As elected officials and trustees acting on behalf of the public, Duval County School Board Members have a responsibility to be accessible to the public and assist citizens with suggestions, questions, or complaints regarding Duval County Public Schools. The following definitions apply:

Constituents are residents of the community who are represented by an elected public school District Board member. Constituents are receivers of public services and provide public funds for those services.
Governance is the primary role of the elected school District Board member. Governance involves ensuring the delivery of required educational and support services in the District by providing oversight and policy to the Superintendent regarding those services and desired results. Governance is strategically based guidance and policy focused on effecting system improvement.
Management is the responsibility of the District Superintendent who is an employee of the School Board and operates within District policy established by the School Board and all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. Management includes directing staff, allocating resources, administering programs and providing support services to improve school system effectiveness and successfully achieve District academic objectives.
Appropriate constituent service is defined as each Board member ensuring that management takes responsibility for helping citizens receive the services that the State Department of Education intend Duval County Public Schools to provide, using the systems and resources provided for those services.
Inappropriate constituent service is defined as Board member involvement in management or delivery of specific services or desired result, even if the problem is serious and/or the Board member’s involvement is minimal. This includes an obligation not to confer special advantage on employees, parents, students, vendors or any other person or entity outside regular management decision–making processes established by policy or management directive to guarantee fairness and equity.

SYSTEM FOR CONSTITUENT SERVICE:

Recognizing the need to provide quality service to constituents, the Duval County School Board and Superintendent will together put into place a system for tracking and responding to constituent inquiries.

The goal of the District is to respond promptly and professionally to any questions or concerns of the public. To this end, the public is encouraged to use published email or telephone numbers to contact the appropriate District personnel regarding issues or questions. Another valuable resource is the District website, which contains policy, procedures and the status of various ongoing programs which will often answer many questions.

If the above information sources do not provide answers, constituents may contact the respective Board member or Board Office. As appropriate, such inquiries will be tracked using a system with the following features:

A protocol for handling constituent requests for information or assistance;
A primary contact person in the Board Office who will refer constituent service issue requests to the Superintendent’s Office as directed by the Board member;
A feedback system so that Board members know the resolution of requests;
An information management system for storing, tracking, categorizing and analyzing requests;
Periodic reports to the Superintendent and Board on constituent requests, their resolution, and patterns in requests;
Periodic reports on District systems improvements made, in whole or part, as a result of constituent service requests; and,
Oversight of the system by the Superintendent’s designee.

PROTOCOL FOR MANAGING CONSTITUENT REQUESTS:

Protocol is based on a reliable information network between the Board Office and the Superintendent’s Office for referring, tracking and resolving constituent inquiries.

Normally, electronic management of these requests will be done via email or other electronic means as the preferred method of communication and recordkeeping in the system. The Superintendent’s Office will manage the tracking system and coordinate with appropriate District staff. Requests will be tracked in the Superintendent’s Office by the category of request; the person assigned the lead for responding, the date of inquiry and the date of response. This information will be maintained in a consolidated database until reviewed by the Superintendent or the Board, but no less than three years.

The District response will be forwarded to the Superintendent’s Designee for response to the constituent. The Superintendent’s Designee is responsible for ensuring that the respective Board member is advised of action on the constituent requests, as well as keeping the constituent advised of the status of the request.

As appropriate, and when requested by the Board Office, the Superintendent’s Office or appropriate District staff member may respond directly to the constituent and copy the Board Office on the response. This shall be noted in the tracking system maintained by the Board Office.

GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING TO CONSTITUENT REQUESTS:

Response to constituent requests will be managed on a priority basis. The Superintendent’s Designee and district staff will set priorities considering all requests. The priority in which requests are answered is based on the urgency of the specific issue and not the importance of each request. The Board considers all requests to be important and warranting an expedient response. In cases where extensive staff work is required to collect data or research information to respond, an interim response will be provided to the constituent by the Board office. If the request comes through a Board Member, the referring Board Member and the Board Member assigned to the district school will be copied on the response.

CENTRAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT:

Constituent request data will be managed by the Superintendent’s Office. As described in the section of this policy titled “Protocol for Managing Constituent Requests”, statistics will be collated for further review by the Superintendent.

Constituent responses shall be maintained in an electronic database for a one-year period from the date of the response or until a briefing to the Board is complete.

REPORTING AND SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT:

The Superintendent will present a quarterly summary to the Board, which will include constituent request data, trends, conclusions and recommendations for improvement. This report will be forwarded to individual Board members during the months of October, January, April and July. The Superintendent’s report to the Board will be in a suitable electronic document and will include data and graphs portraying the results and processes involved. This report will contain the most current information, and will also include comparative data and trend analyses.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F. S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: JANUARY 3, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; NOVEMBER 4, 2014; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BF

2.16 DISTRICTWIDE PLANNING, REPORTING, AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

FRAMEWORK
Continuous Improvement is the systematic process of actualizing the Strategic Plan, promoting organizational effectiveness and learning, and improving the outcomes as defined by the District’s Strategic Plan. The Continuous Improvement framework supports the concept of school improvement as established by the State Board of Education and seeks to create and/or maintain effective schools as defined by Florida law. Pursuant to these requirements, the School Board is responsible for school and student performance and for maintaining the system of districtwide improvement and accountability. The continuous improvement process shall emphasize a system of District and school based-planning directed toward student achievement and accomplishments of objectives unique to each school. The District will adopt a continuous improvement methodology that works in concert with state defined systems.
REPORTING
To promote organizational learning and system transparency, the Superintendent will provide an annual plan for all stakeholders that provides actions and outcomes aligned to the District Strategic Plan.
MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT
The goal of the District’s central office is to provide service and support in an efficient and timely manner to promote a system of continuous improvement. The Board is committed to distributing academic and operational resources throughout the District in alignment to the Strategic Plan. The Superintendent is charged with establishing, publishing and implementing procedures

The School Board is responsible for management oversight of the Duval County Public Schools. The School Board’s role in management oversight is to review the performance of all departments through reports, audits, and any other reporting method deemed appropriate by the School Board through the Superintendent. The Superintendent and Board Chairperson will set an annual review calendar which incorporates timely, relevant department reports. This calendar will also include a listing by month of all quarterly, annual, and other reports provided by individual divisions.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42, 1001.43 F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: SEPTEMBER 7, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; OCTOBER 5, 2010; APRIL 3, 2018; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BJA

2.17 OPERATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY POLICY

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42, 1001.43 F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: SEPTEMBER 7, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; OCTOBER 5, 2010 REPEALED AND TRANSFERRED TO POLICY 2.16: April 3, 2018 FORMERLY: BJB

2.18 DATA DASHBOARD

OVERVIEW

The District maintains various data dashboards aligned to indicators related to school improvement and the Board’s strategic plan goals. The purpose of the data dashboards is to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the operational health of the District and progress towards school improvement and strategic plan goals. The objective is to create intentional focus among staff and the community on school improvement and strategic plan goals by enabling various stakeholders to monitor district performance.

The purpose of the data dashboard policy is to improve the oversight and communication of progress the District is making towards school improvement and strategic plan goals.

DEFINITION/SCOPED
The data dashboard consists of a limited number of carefully selected indicators which communicate the operational health of the District and progress towards school improvement and strategic plan goals.
REPORTING AND OVERSIGHT
The Superintendent will provide live data dashboard access to the Board and will provide training and updates to the Board on an annual basis.
DATA DASHBOARD INDICATORS
The Board directs the superintendent to develop and report data dashboard indicators which are aligned to school improvement and strategic plan goals.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42, 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: MAY 3, 2022 REVISION DATE(S): N/A FORMERLY: NEW

2.19 MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42; 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: JULY 10, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008 REPEALED AND TRANSFERRED TO POLICY 2.16: April 3, 2018 FORMERLY: BJ

2.20 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL

OVERVIEW

The Duval County School District is committed to ensuring that all certificated personnel have the relevant knowledge, skills and expertise to perform their work with consistently high standards and to increase student achievement. The District recognizes that professional development is fundamental to ensure the quality of learning for students. As with all work of the Duval County School District, professional development will align with the Board’s Mission and Vision as well as the Duval County Public Schools (С��ߣ) Strategic Plan.

The District will work collaboratively with the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), public postsecondary institutions, State education foundations, consortia, and professional organizations in Florida to maintain a coordinated system of professional development in order to increase student achievement, enhance classroom instructional strategies that promote rigor and relevance throughout the curriculum, and prepare students for continuing education in the workforce. The annual plan development process shall include a review of student achievement data, District strategic goals, applicable State and Federal mandates, and input from instructional personnel and school-based administrators.

The District's comprehensive professional development plan will also incorporate school improvement plans, will align with the applicable State and national entities.

In accordance with 1012.98, F.S., the District’s comprehensive professional development plan will be updated annually and submitted to the Board by September 1st, prior to submission to the Department of Education.

The Board will provide funding for professional development as required by State law and the General Appropriations Act and will authorize expenditures from other sources to continuously strengthen the District’s system of professional development in order to increase student achievement.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1012.98, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: AUGUST 1, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER10, 2008; OCTOBER 5, 2010; DECEMBER 6, 2011; NOVEMBER 3, 2015; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BJC

2.21 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSERVICE FOR NON-INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL

The Duval County School Board believes that skillful, competent non-instructional personnel are integral to the business and academic success of the district. Ongoing continuous professional development for non-instructional personnel has a strong positive impact on the work environment of the public school district. They are the personnel who provide the workforce to complete the necessary work processes that effect teachers and students in the classroom. The School Board believes that meaningful and relevant training is a necessary prerequisite for the ongoing professional growth of all District employees and, therefore, encourages the participation of all employees in District in-service and other training programs.

The Board will provide funding for the professional development system, including opportunities for non-instructional personnel, and will direct expenditures from other funding sources to continuously strengthen the system.

Because non instructional personnel extend across several bargaining units and numerous job codes, their professional development needs vary widely within these units. Therefore a Non-instructional Professional Development Leadership Cohort shall exist for the purpose of customizing professional development to fit the needs of individual units. Membership will be representative of the district departments, schools and bargaining unit members.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED:1012.98, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: DECEMBER 5, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; NOVEMBER 9, 2010; OCTOBER 6, 2015; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BJCA

2.22 BOARD MEMBER REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

The Duval County School Board acknowledges that a well-informed school board is an integral component to determining and adopting policies and programs consistent with improving student achievement. To develop a comprehensive understanding and to make informed decisions, individual board members may request information from the superintendent or designee relevant to the governance of the school district. The requested information may be used by the school board member or the Duval County School Board in its official capacity as the governing body of the Duval County School District.

In order to manage these requests in an efficient manner, a Board Member Request (BMR) Tracking System has been developed and will be used to direct the flow of requests for information. The request will be entered into the system and directed to the appropriate department for response. There will be a timeline for responses built into the system. The number of staff hours required to respond to a request will be recorded in the tracking system. Staff will respond to requests using the Board Member Tracking System with the below criteria.

Requested information should be responded to in a timely manner and no more than twenty-one (21) days of the request.
The chairman and all board members should be copied on the request for information.
The response to the requested information shall be in substantial conformity to the format requested by the board member
If the superintendent or designee believes that the information cannot be provided within the twenty-one (21) days, the superintendent or designee shall inform, in writing, the board member requesting the information and copy the remaining board members, as to why the request cannot be responded to within the twenty- one (21) days and on what date certain the information can be provided. Requests deemed by the Superintendent as requiring excess staff time for completion will be referred for consideration to the full Board to determine if the request will be fulfilled.
The Board Member Tracking System will produce quarterly reports which will be reviewed by the Board and Superintendent in order to evaluate efficiency and to detect trends. This quarterly review is intended to improve the operating procedures of the School Board/Superintendent team. Some examples of improvement include, but are not limited to eliminating duplicate requests, identifying technology needs, and reduction of unnecessary staff time. The quarterly reports will be provided in October, January, May, and August.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.41, 1001.42, 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: NOVEMBER 9, 2006 REVISION DATE(S): OCTOBER 7, 2008; JUNE 5, 2018; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BGA

2.23 ORGANIZATION AND OFFICERS OF THE BOARD

The School Board shall conduct its Annual Organizational Meeting in November pursuant to the requirements of section 1001.371, Florida Statutes, and Board Policy 2.26. The purpose of the Annual Organizational Meeting is to install the new Board members, elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, and determine the dates and times of the Regular Board Meetings for the next year. If a vacancy occurs in the Chairperson position or Vice-Chairperson position during the term, the Board shall elect a Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson at its next Regular Board Meeting or Special Meeting pursuant to Board Policy 26.
The Chairperson shall preside at all School Board meetings, appoint committees, and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by law or by action of the School The Vice-Chairperson shall preside in the absence of the Chairperson and shall perform such other duties of the Chairperson as required by circumstances. The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be bonded in the manner prescribed by the State Board of Education.
The Superintendent, as provided by law, shall be the secretary and executive officer of the School Board. At any organizational meeting, the Superintendent shall act as Chairperson until the organization of the School Board is completed.
The Board of this District shall be known officially as the School Board of Duval County, Florida. The official address of the Board is 1701 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32207. The Board shall adopt an official seal.
The Board shall designate an employee to serve as the agency clerk to the Board.The agency clerk shall be the Executive Director, Policy and Compliance, and the address of the agency clerk is 1701 Prudential Drive, 6th Floor, Jacksonville, Florida 32207.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.32, 1001.371, 1001.41, 1001.43, 1001.48, 1001.51, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER10, 2008; OCTOBER 7, 2014; SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 FORMERLY: BD

2.24 SALARY OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

As provided by section 1001.395, Florida Statutes, the annual salaries of the Board members shall be determined or adjusted as provided by law.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: CHAPTER 145, 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: CHAPTER 145, 1001.395, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: MARCH 1, 2005 REVISION DATE(S): OCTOBER 5, 2010; NOVEMBER 1, 2011 FORMERLY: BDA

2.25 SCHOOL BOARD RULES

As used in these rules, the term rule and policy shall have the same definition.

These rules may be amended, repealed, or a new rule adopted as hereinafter prescribed.

The term rule is defined in Florida Statutes; it does not include “curricula by an educational unit,” thereby, removing the development or prescription of curriculum by a School Board from the procedural requirements established for rule making.

Unless an emergency exists, any proposal relating to a rule amendment, the repeal of any rule, or the adoption of a new rule shall be presented in writing to the School Board including a written explanation of the proposal.
1. 1. The Superintendent shall give immediate and proper written notice to the public pursuant to the provisions of Florida Statutes, when the School Board has determined that it will give due consideration to the proposal for adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule. The notice of a public hearing shall be advertised twenty-eight (28) days prior to the date of the hearing. The notice shall include a brief and concise explanation of the proposed rule’s purpose and effect, the estimate of economic impact to all individuals affected by the proposed rule or rule amendment, the specific legal authority for the School Board’s action, and the location where the text of the proposed change may be obtained.
  2. Any person who is substantially affected by a proposed rule, rule amendment, or the repeal of a rule, may within twenty-one (21) days following notice of intent to adopt, amend or repeal such rule, file a written request with the School Board seeking an administrative determination as to the validity of the proposed rule action.
  3. The Superintendent shall file immediately in his/her office a copy of any new rule, rule amendment, or repeal of rule adopted by the School Board; policy manuals shall be amended accordingly.
  4. Such rules shall become effective upon adoption by the School Board unless a time certain date is specified therein.
Any person substantially affected by an existing School Board rule may petition the Division of Administrative Hearings, Florida Department of Administration, to conduct a hearing on the rule validity pursuant to Florida Statutes. Any hearing examiner’s decision which is adverse to the School Board may, upon the School Board’s appeal, be judicially reviewed. Any hearing examiner’s decision which is adverse to the person substantially affected may, upon that person’s appeal, be judicially reviewed.
The School Board may determine that the public health, safety, or welfare is endangered and that immediate action is required to protect the public interest. When this occurs, the School Board, at any meeting in which a quorum is present, may adopt emergency rules, without complying with the waiting period as provided in section herein for public hearings and other similar requirements. The Superintendent shall properly record the effective date for any such emergency rule. Any emergency rule shall not be valid in excess of ninety (90) days from the adoption or effective date.
Any School Board employee, citizen, or agency may submit a rule proposal to the Superintendent for consideration.
A copy of the compiled rules shall be available for inspection in the Superintendent’s office (or his/her designee’s office), the principal’s office, and on the District’s website.
Copies of the School Board rules shall be assigned to various positions within the District as determined by the Superintendent.
1. A copy of any rule change shall be made available by the Superintendent to each holder of the compilation who shall be responsible for entering all changes immediately upon receipt.
2. A copy of the School Board rules manual shall be available to all staff members in the principal’s office and the District’s website. The school principal shall keep the compilation current.
3. The principal shall inform his/her staff members of the location of the School Board rules and any changes.
A School Board rule may be waived only to provide and implement overall goals and objectives of the School Board and to protect and preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the affected individual(s). Waiver of a School Board rule shall be addressed and a decision rendered regarding its waiver at a regular, special or emergency School Board meeting and shall require an affirmative vote of at least five School Board members. A waiver of a School Board rule shall not render the policy void with respect to the continued implementation of the rule which is sought to be Any Florida Statute or State Board of Education rule which is waived pursuant to proper procedures shall automatically waive an identical School Board policy.
Sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, and phrases of the School Board policies shall be severable. Any phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, or section of the School Board policies which is declared unconstitutional by the valid judgment of any court of competent jurisdiction shall not affect the constitutionality of any remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and sections of the School Board policies.
Any citizen may appeal to the Board for a variation or waiver with regard to any The appeal process shall be that a written request shall be made to the Superintendent who shall review the matter and present recommendations to resolve the problem at the next regular School Board meeting to which the item may be added as a part of the agenda. In cases where an appeal process has been developed for a specific policy, the appeal shall be made in accordance with that procedure.
The Superintendent or his/her designee is authorized to review policies and make technical corrections to policies that have already been adopted pursuant to this Policy, with such corrections being authorized upon approval by the Office of General Counsel and the Board Chairperson or his/her These technical corrections shall be deemed to be those corrections that correct grammar, formatting, or typographical errors only, and such technical corrections shall not affect the construction or meaning of the Policy. If any technical corrections are made pursuant to this section, then the Superintendent or his/her designee shall provide a written report notifying the Board of the same.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 120.52-120.72, 1001.41, 1001.42, 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; OCTOBER 7, 2014; JANUARY 7, 2019 FORMERLY: BGB, BGF

2.26 BOARD MEETING PROTOCOL AND FORMAT

DEFINITIONS
1. Agenda Committee Meeting – A Board meeting convened to review with the Superintendent and staff, agenda items that will appear on the upcoming Regular Board Meeting agenda. No formal action may be taken by the School Board during the Agenda Committee Meeting.
2. Annual Organizational Meeting – The School Board’s Annual Organizational Meeting held in November and conducted pursuant to the requirements of section 1001.371, Florida Statutes. The purpose of the Annual Organizational Meeting is to install the new Board members, elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, and determine the dates and times of the Regular Board Meetings for the next year.
3. Consent Agenda – Agenda items that are not pulled for discussion and approved by a single motion and vote of the Board. The Board shall use a Consent Agenda. For each item listed on the Consent Agenda, the Board shall be furnished with background information. A Board member may withdraw an item from the Consent Agenda for individual consideration.
4. Consent with Comment Agenda – Agenda item(s) that Board members do not oppose, but wish to bring to the attention of the public. These items will be approved as part of the consent agenda and will not require a separate vote. Time will be provided on the agenda for these items to be presented to the public.
5. Discussion Agenda – Agenda item(s) that are pulled from the Consent Agenda for individual approval by a motion and vote of the Board. The Discussion Agenda item(s) may be pulled by Board member(s) for discussion, to cast a negative vote, and/or to abstain according to the requirements of section 112.3143, Florida Statutes, or on the Discussion Agenda as required by law.
6. Emergency Item – An agenda item to be added to the pending meeting agenda, which was not available when the agenda was published. An emergency agenda item consists of a subject that will have significant adverse effect on the welfare of Duval County Public Schools unless it is addressed at the next Board meeting. The Chairperson will determine if an item is an emergency and will state the item is an emergency for the record.
7. Emergency Meeting – A meeting called without at least seven (7) days notice to the public for a particular issue when the Chairperson or Board members determine that an issue is an emergency or urgent public necessity as defined by law as an immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare. The meeting notice for an emergency meeting will be posted at least two (2) hours prior to the time of the emergency meeting; emergency meetings will be afforded the most appropriate and effective notice under the circumstances.
8. Executive Session (Shade Meeting) – Closed meeting of the Board pursuant to state law (e.g., collective bargaining strategy meeting conducted pursuant to section 447.605, Florida Statutes, or a security and fire safety system meeting pursuant to section 281.301, Florida Statutes, or a meeting to discuss pending litigation conducted pursuant to section 286.011, Florida Statutes).
9. Formal Action or Official Action – As set forth in section 286.011, Florida Statutes, “formal action” are official acts taken by the Board, and no resolution, rule, regulation or formal action shall be considered binding except as taken or made at an open meeting (unless otherwise expressly permitted by law).
10. Meeting Notice – Meeting notices shall set forth the time and place of the meeting, and if available, an agenda, or if no agenda is available, a statement of the general subject matter to be considered. The notice shall also state that if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The meeting notice shall be prominently displayed in the area in the District offices set aside for that purpose, and on the School Board’s website.
11. Public Comment – A portion of each board meeting (including Regular Board Meetings, Special Board Meetings, Emergency Board Meetings, and the Annual Organizational Meeting) and a portion of the Board’s Agenda Committee Meeting, will be designated to allow time for the public to speak to the School Board, unless the provisions of section 286.0114, Florida Statutes, exempts such meeting from the requirements of public comment as follows: (1) An official act that must be taken to deal with an emergency situation affecting the public health, welfare, or safety, if compliance with the requirements would cause an unreasonable delay in the ability of the Board to act; (2) an official act involving no more than a ministerial act, including, but not limited to, approval of minutes and ceremonial proclamations; (3) any meeting that is exempt from section 286.011, Florida Statutes; or (4) any meeting during which the board is acting in a quasi- judicial capacity (however, this subsection does not affect the right of a person to be heard as otherwise provided by law).
12. Public Hearing – The Board may hold a public hearing in which any interested persons shall be allowed to present information on the topic of the hearing with a specified time allotment. A person who has already spoken during the Public Comment portion of the meeting has the right to speak again at the Public Hearing provided such person speaks about the topic addressed by the Public Hearing.
13. Quasi-Judicial Hearings –Board meetings conducted in a manner for the School Board to act in its quasi-judicial capacity, including but not limited to employee discipline matters. In such cases the Board shall be represented by an attorney who did not represent the Superintendent in the administrative proceedings below. The procedures for quasi-judicial hearings for the suspension and termination of personnel governed by Chapter 120, Florida Statutes, are set forth hereafter.
14. Quorum -- A majority shall constitute a quorum for any School Board meeting. No business is transacted unless a quorum is present, except that a minority may recess a meeting until a quorum is present.
15. Regular Board Meeting – The monthly meeting of the School Board.
16. Special Meeting - A meeting called by the Chairperson or at the request of the majority of members. The specific agenda, identifying each item for which the meeting was called, shall be prepared at least forty-eight hours (48) in advance of the meeting and shall identify the item(s) and/or topic(s) for which the Special Meeting is convened.
17. Workshops – meetings of two or more Board members, where no formal action is taken, to discuss matters set forth on the Workshop agenda.
18. Member to Member Meeting – meetings of two or more people at the request of an individual member to discuss upcoming matters the Board may consider or other items which may impact the Board, but do not require Board action.
AGENDA PREPARATION, PUBLICATION, AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. Agenda Preparation – The deadline for submitting items for inclusion on the agenda shall be 12:00 p.m. on the tenth (10th) calendar day before Regular Board Meetings and four (4) business days before Special Meetings, and as most appropriate and effective under the circumstances for an Emergency Meeting and as expediently as possible according to the requirements of law. The Superintendent and Chairperson shall be notified of all agenda items.
  Board members may submit an agenda item at any time.
  Place holders may be used up until the time the agenda is published.
  The Superintendent and Chairperson shall meet prior to the publication of the agenda to finalize the agenda. This meeting shall take place no later than 48 hours prior to the publication of the agenda to provide staff with sufficient time to make any necessary changes to the agenda prior to publication. No agenda item submitted by a Board member may be removed from the agenda without that Board member’s authorization.
2. Agenda Publication – The agenda will be published in final format, posted according to the criteria established by law and posted on the website, no later than 12:00 p.m. seven (7) days prior to the Regular Board Meeting, and no later than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled commencement of a Special Meeting, the Agenda Committee Meeting, any Workshop, and the Annual Organizational Meeting. Publication of the agenda for an Emergency Meeting shall occur as expediently as possible according to the requirements of law. The deadline for items to be included on the agenda for Regular Board Meetings is 4:30 p.m. on the day immediately prior to publication.
3. Duties of Officers – The Chairperson shall preside at all School Board meetings, appoint committees and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by Florida Statutes or by action of the School Board. The Vice- Chairperson shall preside in the absence of the Chairperson and shall perform such other duties of the Chairperson as required by circumstances. The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson shall be bonded in the manner prescribed by the State Board of Education.
TIME AND PLACE OF MEETING
1. The School Board shall hold its Regular Board Meeting on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm in the Cline auditorium of the Duval County School Board Administration Building. The Board meeting will conclude no later than 11:00 p.m. unless time is extended by a majority vote of the Board. If it is determined that it is in the public interest for the meeting to be held elsewhere, prior public notice shall be given at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance except in cases of emergency. The Superintendent shall take such action to give public notice as required by Florida Statutes.
2. Changes to accommodate holidays and special events will be proposed by the Chairperson and approved by the Board. If a meeting is moved due to a holiday or special event, it will be held on the following Monday at 6:00 p.m. if at all possible.
3. Board Workshops will generally be held the second and third Tuesday of each month beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Board Chair may elect to extend the workshop time beyond four (4) hours but no longer than six (6) hours in total duration. Any items which are not covered by 1:00 p.m. on the designated workshop days will be taken up on the third Thursday of each month at 9:00 a.m., which shall be the Thursday immediately following the second workshop of the Month. When there is a concern that the second and third Tuesday will not provide adequate time for discussion, the Board Chairperson and Superintendent may elect to notice the third Thursday of a given month as a Board Workshop. Adjustments to Board Workshop dates are permitted when there are conflicts with the District approved calendar, such as scheduled holidays and District closures, or events of interest to the Board.
4. Emergency meetings may be called by the Chairperson or by consent of a majority of Board members. This type of meeting must comply with Board Policy 2.26(1)(G).
5. All meetings of the School Board (or two or more Board members) shall be conducted pursuant to the requirements set forth in Chapter 286, Florida Statutes, except otherwise allowed by law.
6. The Annual Organizational Meeting shall be held in November according to the requirements of section 1001.371, Florida Statutes. At any organizational meeting, Superintendent shall as act as Chairperson
  until the organization of the School Board is completed. Pursuant to section 1001.371, Florida Statutes, if a vacancy occurs in the Chairperson position or Vice-Chairperson position in the upcoming year, the Board shall elect a Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson at its next Regular Board Meeting or Special Meeting.
7. All official meetings of the School Board shall be open to the public and any other meeting shall be conducted as public meetings pursuant to Chapter 286, Florida Statutes, except when otherwise allowed by Florida Statutes. Citizens shall be given an opportunity for public comment as described in section (1)(k) and (1)(l) above.
8. Any Opening Message or Thought of the Day may be delivered by student(s).
9. Each Regular Board Meeting shall include an opportunity to highlight a specific school, district program, or community partnership. The Board Chairperson will set the schedule for this rotation.
ORDER OF BUSINESS
1. The order of business for Regular Board Meetings shall be set out in the agenda accompanying the notice of the meeting. The order in which posted agenda items are taken may be changed by consensus of the Board members. The School Board shall not be obligated to act on any item not on the agenda.
2. The order of the Regular Board Meeting shall be as follows:
  1. Call to Order
  2. Opening Message or Thought of theDay
  3. Pledge of Allegiance
  4. School, District Program, or Community Partnership Highlight
  5. Recognitions/Presentations of Awards
  6. Comments from District Student Government (JAGS)
  7. Approval of the Agenda
  8. Chairperson’s Report
  9. Superintendent’s Report
  10. Department Reports
  11. Designated Committee Reports (Sales Surtax Oversight Committee/Audit Oversight Committee/School Health Advisory Committee/District Arts Committee)
  12. Public Comments from Current Elected Officials
  13. Public Comments
  14. Comments from Designated Parent Organizations (District Parent Teacher Student Association (DCCPTA)/District Advisory Council (DAC))
  15. Comments from Designated Employee Organizations (All Exclusive Bargaining Agents)
  16. Approval of Minutes
  17. Approval of Consent Agenda
  18. Discussion of Consent with Comment Agenda
  
  DISCUSSION AGENDA
  1. Emergency
  2. Board Member(s)
  3. General
  4. Curriculum and Instruction
  5. Administration and Business Services
  6. Purchasing Services
  7. Human Resources Services
  8. Facility Services
  9. Board Travel
  10. Superintendent Travel
  11. For the Record
  12. Adjournment
RULES OF ORDER
The Board shall observe parliamentary procedures as found in the then-current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, except as otherwise provided in Board policy or as provided by law. Legal counsel assigned to the School Board shall act as the official parliamentarian of the School Board.
CONDUCT OF MEETING
1. Board Member Protocol
  1. Board members will act and dress professionally
  2. Board members will handle all interactions with each other, the Superintendent, staff and the public with respect.
  3. Board members will refrain from responding to speaker comments or addressing the audience.
  4. Discussions shall be addressed to the Chairperson and then the entire membership.
  5. Discussions shall be directed solely to the business currently under deliberation and the Chairperson reserves the right to halt discussions that do not apply to the business before the Board.
  6. The Chairperson will preside with fairness and provide Board members with equal time. No Board member will be permitted to dominate.
  7. The Chairperson shall halt discussions if the Board has agreed to a time limitation for discussion of an item and that time limit has expired.
  8. The Vice-Chairperson will serve as timekeeper.
  9. The Chairperson shall not interfere with debate so long as members wish to address an item under consideration.
  10. Board members will in every way strive to make Board meetings effective, efficient and professional.
  11. Under the following extraordinary circumstances, Board members may attend Board meetings and participate and vote through the use of electronic media technology and/or telephone systems, as long as the following criteria is met: (1) a quorum of Board must be physically present at the meeting; (2) a determination must be made that each absent Board member desiring to participate by electronic
    media technology and/or telephone has good cause for his/her absence. “Good cause” shall include, but not be limited to, those instances where the Board member is out of the county while attending to District business, confined to home or hospital due to illness or accident, absent as a result of a death or serious illness of a family member, or where the Board meeting calendar changed thereby resulting in the absent Board member having a scheduling conflict. When traveling outside the district for an entity other than the school district, attending via electronic media technology will be permitted only when a scheduling conflict has occurred due to a change in the calendar approved by the Board. Prior to the absent Board member’s participation, good cause shall be determined and will be evidenced by a vote by majority of the Board members present at the meeting approving the absent Board member’s participation and vote by the above referenced technology. Notwithstanding the foregoing, under no circumstance shall this subsection apply to Executive Sessions, Shade Meetings, Quasi- Judicial Hearings, Grievance Committee meetings, or expulsion hearings, it being understood that physical attendance of Board members is required.
  12. Board members may use the district’s electronic media technology and/or phone system to listen only to Board Committee Meetings and Board Policy meetings when they are not an assigned member to the given meeting. Assigned members must attend in person.
2. Audience Protocol. Meetings of the School Board are public meetings but they are not meetings of the public.
  1. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), persons needing an accomodation to participate in the proceedings of a School Board meeting will be accommodated in a reasonable manner. Language to this effect will be included on all School Board meeting notices. Accommodations should be requested at least three business days prior to meeting. Accommodations requested with less than three business days' prior notice will be met to the extent possible. In the event of a special meeting or other meeting wherein public notice of the meeting is less than three days, a request for reasonable accommodation will be met to the extent possible. The Superintendent or designee shall ensure procedures are in place to implement this policy.
  2. The audience is expected to be quiet during the meeting.
  3. All personal electronic devices should be silenced during meetings. Except for the Recognitions/Presentations of Awards agenda items, the audience will refrain from using flash photography. The audience is expected not to cheer, clap or audibly comment during the business portion of the meeting (the business portion of the meeting begins after the Recognition/Presentation of Awards for the Regular Board Meeting, and the business portion of the meeting commences at the opening of all other Meetings and Workshops).
  4. In accordance with section 350.305 of the Jacksonville Ordinance code, attendees are prohibited from distribution of campaign materials on school board property during public meetings.
  5. The audience is prohibited from displaying signs, posters or placards inside the room where the School Board meeting is being held.
  6. The audience shall be informed that it is unlawful to knowingly disrupt or interfere with a School Board meeting and that any such action may result in a person being charged with a second degree misdemeanor. This includes individuals who advise, counsel or instruct students, School Board employees or others on techniques for disrupting a School Board meeting.
  7. If after at least one warning from the Chairperson, a person or persons continues to disrupt the meeting by words or actions, then the Chairperson shall direct law enforcement to remove the person from the meeting and the building.
3. Speaker Protocol
  1. Public comment is limited to the designated open forum portion of a meeting or Agenda Committee Meeting, with the exception of Public Hearings.
  2. Public Comment during Public Hearings. The time limitations for public comment during public hearings shall be as follows: if 1-20 speakers stand to speak, each will be allotted three (3) minutes; if 21-40 speakers stand to speak, each will be allotted two (2) minutes; and if 41+ speakers stand to speak, each will be allotted one (1) minute. When there are multiple speakers on the same issue, the Chairperson will indicate the Board’s desire that the speakers designate 2 or 3 people to speak for the group.
  3. Speakers are required to fill out a speaker’s card (including the speaker's full name, address, and other required fields) prior to speaking during the Public Comment portion of a meeting. Speaker cards may be accepted no earlier than one hour prior to the published start time for a meeting. The deadline for filling out and submitting a speaker’s card is twenty (20) minutes after the published time to start the Regular Board Meeting, and concurrent with the published time to start a Special Meeting, Emergency Meeting, the Annual Organizational Meeting, and the Agenda Committee Meeting.
  4. In lieu of speaking during public comment, members of the public may submit a designated card to waive in support or opposition of an agenda item. Cards to waive in support/opposition of an agenda item shall be accepted in the same manner as speaker’s card as set forth in (2) above. Submission of the waiver card removes the individual’s ability to speak during public comment. The waiver card will only reflect support or opposition of an agenda item number and/or title on that meeting's agenda. No other comments, topics, or other verbiage will be read from a waiver card.
  5. The public comment portion of all meetings will be scheduled at the beginning of the business portion of each meeting, except that the public comment portion of the Agenda Committee Meeting will occur at the conclusion of the Board’s review of the draft agenda.
  6. Speakers are expected to wear appropriate dress.
  7. Speakers must state their name for the record and what organization, if any, they represent.
  8. During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, the time limitations for each speaker shall be as follows: if 1-20 speakers have signed up to speak, each will be allotted three (3) minutes; if 21-40 speakers have signed up to speak, each will be allotted two (2) minutes; and if 41+ speakers have signed up to speak, each will be allotted one (1) minute. When there are multiple speakers on the same issue, the Chairperson will indicate the Board’s desire that the speakers designate 2 or 3 people to speak for the group.
  9. Current elected officials will be provided three (3) minutes to speak at the beginning of the Public Comment portion of any meeting of the School Board.
  10. Speakers will refrain from direct questions to Board Members, the Superintendent, District Staff or members of the audience while speaking.
  11. Speakers may not accrue minutes from other speakers.
  12. Speakers will avoid the use of profane or vulgar language or personal attacks upon any individual.
  13. The Chairperson in conjunction with the Office of General Counsel reserves the right to conclude a speaker’s privileges to address the School Board if any of these provisions are violated.
  14. The Chairperson may, at their discretion, elect to have the Vice-Chairperson or other designee read the order of speakers during any given meeting. The Vice-Chairperson or other designee may prompt speakers as to individual speaker time limits.
  15. The Superintendent (or his/her designee) may develop procedures for implementation of this section.
VOTING
Votes may be registered electronically or by a show of hands and will be recorded in the minutes. Each member who is present shall vote on each decision, ruling, or official act which is taken or adopted by the School Board, unless there is or appears to be a conflict of interest under the provisions of Chapter 112, Florida Statutes. In such cases the member may abstain, but shall file a memorandum pursuant to requirements of Section 112.3143, Florida Statutes.
PRESENTATIONS AND AWARDS
The Communications offices will send written notice regarding presentation procedures to each school involved with directions to share the information with all participants. Seats in the Cline Auditorium will be assigned in the order the presentations are to be made.
During the presentations, a representative from the Communications offices will instruct the row of participants to rise and line up along the side of the room. Participants will proceed to the front of the auditorium by entering on the right side of the room. After receiving their recognition, participants will exit on the left side of the room, guided by a representative from the Communications office. They may either return to their seat or exit the auditorium.
A board member will be designated each month to participate in pictures. This schedule will be set forth by the Board Chairperson.
MINUTES
Board action shall be carefully recorded by the Board office secretary. When approved, these minutes shall serve as the legal record of official Board actions. Motions, resolution, and the necessary information related thereto; the name of the person making the motion or submitting the resolution; the name of the person who seconds the motion; and the vote or action thereof shall be recorded. The written minutes of all meetings shall be approved by vote of the Board and signed by the Chairperson and the official Secretary of the Board (the Superintendent). The approved minutes shall be made available by the Superintendent, upon reasonable notification and pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, to any citizen desiring to examine the minutes.
The minutes shall be submitted to each School Board member prior to the meeting at which they are to be corrected, if necessary, and approved.
Any School Board member or the Superintendent who wishes any of his/her statements to be recorded may request that such become a part of the official minutes.
Any other matter may be made a part of the official minutes by direction of the Chairperson or by a majority of the School Board.
REPORT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND DISTRICT ACTIVITIES
Presentations on items of interest pertaining to student achievement and District activities will be made to the Board. The Superintendent and the Board will determine what items will be included in the presentations for each Regular Board Meeting. All attempts will be made to keep the presentations to 15 minutes.
BOARD TRAVEL
Once a year the Board will put forth a Board Travel Agenda item which includes the names of Board members and the names of each available conference/s they may attend as required for approval by the Board. Additional travel agenda items may be brought to the Board when further professional development and/or advocacy training opportunities may become available. Pursuant to section 5 of Chapter 2018-5, Laws of Florida (amending 1001.39, Florida Statutes), commencing July 1, 2019, the agenda item for Board Travel shall include the details required by section 5 of Chapter 2018-5, Laws of Florida, shall be on the Discussion Agenda, and shall permit Public Comment (if any). Speaker cards for the Board Travel agenda item shall be completed pursuant to the requirements of section (6)(c)2. above.
FOR THE RECORD
For the Record will give each Board Member a time on the agenda to share any information or statements that were not on the published agenda that they wish to be entered into the public record.
QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARINGS
The following procedures shall be followed in hearings on suspension and termination of personnel who are governed by Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.
1. Responsibility of the Board. When the Board considers action concerning the discipline (including suspension or termination of staff members), it is acting in a quasi-judicial capacity. Individual Board members shall not respond to questions directed to them, and shall not discuss a pending case with the employee in question or his/her representative, or with members of the public, or take into consideration information not contained in the record of the proceedings or opinions on how a case should be decided. Advisory staff members who did not testify on behalf of the agency may assist the Board within the standards of Chapter 120, F.S. (for example, should not provide supplemental evidence outside of the record of the case).
2. Responsibility of the Superintendent.
  1. Administrative Leave with Pay. The Superintendent is authorized to place employees on administrative leave with pay during investigations into alleged misconduct.
  2. Termination or Suspension without Pay as Discipline
    1. Superintendent's Recommendation. When a recommendation is made to the Board that an employee is to be terminated or suspended without pay as a disciplinary action, the Superintendent shall prepare an agenda item for presentation to the Board. The Superintendent or his/her designee will prepare and serve on the employee written notice of the complaint in the form of an agenda item, setting forth the alleged facts, the alleged violations of statutes or rules and the Superintendent’s recommendation. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall notify the employee of the time, date, and place of the Board meeting when the Board will consider the Superintendent's recommendation.
    2. Employee Response. The employee or their representative is entitled to attend the meeting of the Board at which the Superintendent’s recommendation will be considered. The employee and his representative may address the Board during the public comment portion of the meeting as to reasons why the Superintendent's recommendation should not be approved. However, the Board’s decision shall be based upon the contents of the agenda item, and any comments of the Superintendent and the employee or his/her representative. The Employee and their representatives will be bound by the Speaker Protocol rules found in this Policy above. In the event that the employee fails to or elects not to attend the above meeting, the Board shall render its decision based upon the information presented by the agenda item and District staff.
    3. Administrative Hearing. If the employee disagrees with the decision of the School Board, the employee may request an administrative hearing by timely notifying the Superintendent or his/her designee. Within fifteen (15) days of receiving such request, the Superintendent or his/her designee will refer the matter to the Division of Administrative Hearings with a request that an administrative law judge (ALJ) be assigned to conduct the hearing in accordance with Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.
    4. Procedures before the Administrative Law Judge. The procedures before the ALJ will be governed by Chapter 120, Florida Statutes, and the Uniform Rules adopted pursuant to
      section 120.54(5), Florida Statutes. Any hearing shall be open
      to the public as provided by law.
3. Procedures for Taking Action on a Recommended Order. When a hearing has been conducted and a recommended order has been issued by the ALJ and is being presented to the Board for entering the final order, the following procedures will govern:
  1. Submittals to the Board
    1. The Superintendent (or his/her designee) and the employee may file with the agency clerk written exceptions to the recommended order and serve them on the opposing party no later than fifteen (15) days from the date the recommended order was filed with the agency clerk, unless the parties specifically agree to a different time period. Failure to timely file exceptions shall constitute an acceptance of all portions of a recommended order to which exceptions have not been filed. Either party may file and serve with the exceptions a proposed final order that the party wants the Board to adopt at the Board’s Quasi-Judicial Hearing on the matter.
    2. The transcript, if any, shall be filed with the agency clerk at the time exceptions are filed.
    3. In all cases all portions of the record requested by any party, the transcript, if any, the ALJ's recommended order, any exceptions filed thereto, and each party's proposed final order shall be distributed to the Board members or placed on file in the Board office. In no event shall the record be delivered to Board members later than seven (7) days before the Board meeting.
  2. Persons to Be Heard: Persons other than the parties (and legal counsel) involved in the case will not be heard, except as their comments are included in the record below.
  3. Time Limit for Speakers: The affected party and their representative and the attorney representing the Superintendent will be given five (5) minutes per side to review filed exceptions, if any. Then the affected party and their representative and the attorney representing the Superintendent will be given ten (10) minutes per side to review the record with the Board and to make comments concerning the final order to be entered by the Board.
  4. Cases Not to Be Retried by the Board: The case before the Board shall not be retried as a new trial. No new evidence shall be allowed to be introduced when the Board is considering a recommended order from an ALJ.
  5. ALJ's Recommendations Not in Accord with the Superintendent’s: If the ALJ's recommendations are not in accord with those of the Superintendent’s earlier or subsequent recommendations, the Superintendent shall state his/her recommendations and the reasons therefore on the record prior to the speakers.
  6. Options Concerning Recommended Orders
    1. The Board may adopt the recommended order as the final order of the Board.
    2. The Board may reject or modify the conclusions of law and interpretation of administrative rules over which it has substantive jurisdiction. In doing so, the Board need not have reviewed the entire record but must give specific reasons for the rejection or modification. The Board must enter a finding that the substituted conclusions or interpretations are as reasonable as or more reasonable than that which was rejected or modified.
    3. The Board may not reject or modify the findings of fact contained in a recommended order unless the Board first determines from a review of the complete record, and states with particularity in the order, that the findings of fact were not based upon competent substantial evidence or that the proceedings on which the findings were based did not comply with essential requirements of law.
    4. The Board may accept the recommended penalty in a recommended order, but may not reduce or increase it without a review of the complete record. If the Board increases or decreases the recommended penalty, it must state with particularity its reasons for doing so and cite to the record justifying the action.
    5. The Board is not bound by the ALJ's or the Superintendent’s recommended penalty and may impose a less severe or a more severe penalty in its sole discretion subject to the requirements concerning increasing or decreasing a recommended penalty of an ALJ.
  7. The Record. The official record in a case shall consist only of the following:
    1. all notices, pleadings, motions and intermediate rulings;
    2. evidence admitted at the hearing before the ALJ;
    3. a statement of matters officially recognized;
    4. proffers of proof and objections and rulings thereon;
    5. proposed findings and exceptions;
    6. any decision, opinion, proposed or recommended order or report by the ALJ;
    7. all staff memoranda or data submitted to the ALJ during the hearing or prior to its disposition, after notice of the submission to all parties;
    8. all matters placed on the record after an ex parte communication pursuant to section 120.66(2), Florida Statutes; and
    9. the official transcript, if any.
  8. The decision of the Board shall be based solely on the record and no Board member shall consider any matters not contained in the record as a basis for deciding the case.
  9. The Board shall ensure all testimony in the proceeding shall be accurately and completely preserved by audio recording and on the request of any party shall make available a copy at no more than actual cost.
  10. Final Order
    1. Within thirty (30) days of the hearing, the Board will render a final order that rules upon all exceptions filed by a party. The Board does not need to rule on an exception that does not clearly identify the disputed portion of the recommended order by page number or paragraph, that does not identify the legal basis for the exception, or that does not include appropriate and specific citations to the record.
    2. Final orders shall be executed by the person presiding at the meeting at which the final order was adopted.
    3. Final orders shall be deemed rendered when filed with the agency clerk. Upon filing with the agency clerk, the agency clerk shall cause copies of the order to be served on the parties by regular U.S. mail within seven (7) days of the filing. The agency clerk shall provide a copy of the final order and any exceptions to the Division of Administrative Hearings within fifteen (15) days after the order was filed with the clerk.
    4. Each final order shall contain a statement that judicial review is available under F.S. 120.68, and that the appeal may be taken by filing a notice of appeal with the clerk of the Board within thirty (30) days of the rendition of the final order.
POLICY REVIEW
This policy will be reviewed every two (2) years.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 286.011, 286.0114, 447.605, 877.13, 1001.32, 1001.41, 1001.42, 1001.49, 1001.51 F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: NOVEMBER 1, 2005 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; FEBRUARY 3, 2009; JULY 7, 2015; OCTOBER 6, 2015; APRIL 3, 2018; NOVEMBER 7, 2018; JANUARY 11, 2021; MAY 3, 2022; JULY 11, 2022; NOVEMBER 1, 2022; JULY 10, 2023; SEPTEMBER 11, 2023; MAY 7,2024 FORMERLY: BE

2.27 SCHEDULE FOR LEGAL ADVERTISEMENTS

The School Board shall inform the general public of certain actions through legal advertisements (g., Notices of Public Hearing, Invitation to Bid). Items of interest to the public shall also be advertised.
Notifications to all appropriate agencies and individuals to amend, adopt, or repeal a School Board rule shall be given according to the schedule required by law prior to the date of intended School Board action.
Annually the tentative budget shall be posted on the District’s official website and advertised as required by 1011.03, Florida Statutes.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 120.54, 286.0105, 1001.43, 1011.03, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; OCTOBER 7, 2014; JUNE 5, 2018 FORMERLY: KCB

2.28 BOARD RESPONSIBILITY FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Any provision of a collective bargaining agreement which is ratified by the School Board and affects collective bargaining members shall prevail over any School Board rule conflicting with the The School Board rule shall be deemed to be amended during the term of the agreement. If such agreement expires prior to ratification of a subsequent agreement, the provisions of the expired agreement shall be in effect until ratification of a subsequent agreement or approval by the legislative body by a Resolution of Impasse.
If any provision of a collective bargaining agreement is in conflict with any law, ordinance, rule, or regulation over which the Superintendent has no amendatory power, the Superintendent shall submit to the appropriate governmental body having amendatory power a proposed amendment to such law, ordinance, rule, or The conflicting provision of the collective bargaining agreement shall not become effective until such amendment becomes effective.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 447.309(3), 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008 FORMERLY: HMA

2.29 LEGAL COUNSEL FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES

The General Counsel of the City of Jacksonville shall provide representation for a School Board member when legal action is taken against him/her as result of participating in an official session of the School Board.
The General Counsel of the City of Jacksonville shall provide legal services for an employee charged with a civil or criminal action arising out of or in the course of the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities pursuant to Section 26, Florida Statute.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41(2), F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1012.26, F.S. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION RULE: 6A-1.042 JACKSONVILLE ORDINANCE CODE: Section 25.101 HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008 FORMERLY: BDG

2.30 PARTICIPATION IN ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Recognizing the value of professional development as well as the benefit of affiliation with professional associations that support the mission and vision of the District, it is an expectation that each member of the Board participate in the activities and programs conducted by state, regional and national associations of the School Board and to attend other educational meetings which offer opportunity for becoming acquainted with educational issues and practices. Each board member shall attend ethics training in compliance with Florida law to ensure that all ethical requirements of the office are clearly understood. The Superintendent shall include an amount in each proposed annual budget to cover expenses to support the participation of the Board in activities and programs conducted by the state and other organizations as the Board chooses. It is the expectation of the Board that members share information gained during these activities with the other members of the Board. Each Board member who participates in such activities shall be reimbursed consistent with Board policy. Any Board member travel outside of Duval County, Florida must be approved in advance by the School Board.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 112.3142, 1001.39, 1001.41, 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; MAY 3, 2016; APRIL 3, 2018 FORMERLY: BIBA

2.31 BOARD MEMBER USE OF PROCUREMENT CARD

To facilitate the efficient operation of the Purchasing Department, and reduce the time required for processing reimbursements, Board members shall limit the use of their District-issued procurement cards to the following education- related expenses:
1. Travel Expenses (pursuant to the District's travel policies):
  1. Method of travel - includes airline tickets, rental cars, taxis and parking fees (but excludes gas purchases)
  2. Accommodations - includes hotel room, internet and other mandatory fees
  3. Conference Registration Fees
2. No other use of the District-issued procurement cards is permitted.
This policy, and reports of expenditures made via the procurement cards, shall be reviewed on an as needed basis by the School Board.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41(2), F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.39, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: NOVEMBER 10, 2008 REVISION DATE(S): OCTOBER 7, 2014; JUNE 5, 2018 FORMERLY: NEW

2.32 SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

The School Board shall establish a School Advisory Council (SAC) in each District school to serve in an advisory capacity to the principal and to assist in the development of the educational program and in preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan required pursuant to Florida Statutes. These advisory Councils shall not assume any of the powers or duties now reserved by Florida Statutes for the School Board or its professional staff. Nothing contained in the District and/or local school accountability process shall be construed to lessen or otherwise alter the authority of the school principal as provided for in law, rules or regulations.
The District approved School Advisory Council bylaws form and guidelines are hereby incorporated by reference for use and made a part of this policy. Copies of the approved form and guidelines shall be maintained by the Superintendent or his/her designee.
The District will ensure that each school SAC remains compliant with all state law and FDOE requirements.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.43, 1001.452, 1008.345, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: APRIL 1, 1997 REVISION DATE(S): NOVEMBER 10, 2008; OCTOBER 7, 2014; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: BDF

2.33 SCHOOL HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SHAC)

The School Board recognizes the important role that the ten components of Coordinated School Health play towards the attainment of high levels of academic achievement.

The School Board shall establish a School Health Advisory Committee(SHAC) to serve in an advisory capacity to the School Board and the Superintendent or his/her designee to offer recommendations and advice on issues that relate to the health of children and their families, including, but not limited to, matters pertaining to all ten components (physical education and physical activity; nutrition environment and services; health education; social and emotional school climate; physical environment; health services; counseling, psychological and social services; employee wellness; community involvement; and family engagement) of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and this advisory committee shall not assume any of the powers or duties now reserved by Florida Statutes for the School Board.
The District approved School Health Advisory Committee bylaws are hereby incorporated by reference for use and made a part of this policy. Copies of the approved shall be maintained in the Health Education Office.
The School Health Advisory Committee shall review all materials and speakers, which may be about or on a topic controversial or sensitive in nature, in the areas related to the ten components of the WSCC
The School Health Advisory Committee is encouraged to address the components of the Coordinated School Health model in the school district’s wellness policy pursuant to 1003.453.
All meetings of the School Health Advisory Committee shall be noticed and open to the public, in accordance with the provisions of Florida Statute 286.011.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1003.02, 1003.453, 1006.08, 381.0056, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: NOVEMBER 10, 2008 REVISION DATE(S): OCTOBER 6, 2020; MAY 7, 2024 FORMERLY: NEW

2.34 DISTRICT STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

The School Board recognizes the important role that student voice plays in developing and maintaining a high-performing district.

The School Board shall establish a District Student Government Association, which shall be the district student government organization of Duval County Public Schools. It shall be a body designed to serve the District at large, by providing an active and representative voice that allows students to maintain the right to have an influence and impact on the decisions of Duval County Public Schools. This shall be the primary function of the council. This Student Government Association shall not assume any of the powers or duties now reserved by Florida Statutes for the School Board. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall provide administrative support for the operation of the council.
Secondary functions, which shall be carried out when not in conflict with the primary purpose, include:
- To promote District functions and school unity by the support and preservation of activities and rules which are deemed beneficial to the student;
- To provide a venue for communication between students, administration, and the board; and
- To provide representative student input and proactive solutions for all decisions that may have an impact on students, either directly or indirectly.
The District Student Government Association shall work as in an advisory capacity to the District. As such, appointments to the Student Government Association shall be made at the school level, using the established student governance bylaws adopted at each individual high school. District Student Government Association officers shall be elected within the council.
The District-approved Student Government Association bylaws will be provided to the School Board on an annual basis (with copies being maintained in the Office of Strategic Planning). The District Student Government Association shall meet regularly to conduct its business. Minutes of each meeting shall be kept, in accordance with the established bylaws.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42, 1001.43, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: MARCH 3, 2015 REVISION DATE(S): MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: NEW

2.35 BOARD COMMITTEES

The Board believes that committee assignments are a responsibility of elected office, and that service on committees is a shared responsibility among Board members. It is the expectation of the Board that all members will actively participate in committee, subcommittee and special committee assignments. Accordingly, in collaboration with the Board members, the Chairperson shall equitably assign and appoint Board members to external committees and internal Board committees, subcommittees, and special committees and
perform such other duties as may be prescribed by Florida Statutes or by action of the Board. The Chairperson shall complete the committee assignments no later than forty-five (45) days after being elected to the
Chairperson position. Representatives from each committee shall provide regular informational reports of the committee actions to the collective body. The Chairperson may consider a rotation of committee assignments which fosters a deeper understanding of committee work, expands the Board’s leadership capacity in affiliate organizations, and ensures that no position is monopolized by a single Board member over the course of their tenure on the Board.Unless otherwise provided by Florida law, the procedures set forth in Policy 2.26 shall govern the conduct of Board committee, subcommittee and special committee meetings.
The following are the standing committees of the Board:
1. GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE
  1. The Grievance Committee is a committee that is required by state statute.
  2. The Grievance Committee shall consist of three board members who shall be appointed in November by the newly elected Chairperson. All Board members will be noticed of the grievance meetings but only the Grievance Committee members shall have a vote. The Chairperson shall serve as the chairman and an ex-officio voting member of the Grievance Committee.
  3. The Grievance Committee will address any grievances brought by an employee organization on behalf of its membership after all other means have been exhausted pursuant to the applicable collective bargaining agreement protocols.
  4. Grievance Committee members shall determine a day, time and place for Grievance meetings on a monthly basis for the year following their appointment. Meetings will be noticed by the Board secretary. The Grievance Committee will not meet if there are no grievances to be heard that month.
  5. The employee organization and grievant shall provide the District designee for the Grievance Committee all necessary background materials consisting of the record below no less than one (1) week prior to a scheduled Grievance Committee meeting.
  6. Neither party involved in the grievance may engage in ex parte communication with any Grievance Committee member prior to the hearing on matters related to the grievance.
  7. The Grievance Committee will render a decision on each case at the end of the hearing or as may otherwise be required by the applicable collective bargaining agreement. The Grievant and his/her counsel will be apprised of the decision prior to the end of the meeting, to be followed
    by a written order according to the requirements established by the Grievance Committee or as may otherwise be set forth in the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Decisions of the Grievance Committee are final as to that grievance step, requiring no further action of the Board, unless the grievant chooses to appeal the decision.
  8. Meetings shall be open to the public pursuant to Chapter 286, Florida Statutes. The Board secretary shall record the minutes of the meeting.
2. AUDITOR SELECTION COMMITTEE
  1. The Auditor Selection Committee shall consist of the entire Board acting as a committee-of-the-whole, and one (1) non-School Board member of the Audit Advisory Committee. Each Auditor Selection Committee member shall have one vote. The Auditor Selection Committee Chairperson shall be appointed by the Board Chairperson following the Annual Organizational Meeting each year, with the caveat that the Board Chairperson cannot appoint the one (1) non-School Board member of
    the Audit Advisory Committee to serve as the Chairperson of the Auditor Selection Committee. The Chairperson of the Auditor Selection Committee shall be an ex officio, non-voting member of the Audit
    Advisory Committee referenced in Board Policy 2.38.
  2. The Committee shall meet as necessary to carry out its functions. The Auditor Selection Committee Chairperson shall determine the date, hour and place of meetings. Meetings may also be called at the written request of the majority of the members of the Auditor Selection Committee.
  3. The purpose of the Auditor Selection Committee is to assist the School Board in selecting an auditor to conduct the annual financial audit required in Section 218.391, Florida Statutes.The Auditor Selection Committee is advisory in nature; its recommendations regarding the selection of an auditor shall be provided in writing to the Board and the Superintendent.
    In its advisory role, the Auditor Selection Committee is subject to the control and direction of the Board.
  4. Meetings shall be noticed and open to the public pursuant to Chapter 286, Florida Statutes. The Board secretary shall record the minutes of the meeting.
  5. No actions taken in meetings of the Auditor Selection Committee are binding upon the Board. However, committee reports submitted to the Board may contain certain recommendations requiring Board action. No committee may perform any of the Board’s functions.
3. AUDIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
  The Audit Advisory Committee is created to provide the School Board with outside advice and comment from experts in auditing (internal or external), finance, information technology, risk management, and governance (Audit Professionals), who are not employed by the School Board. The Audit Advisory Committee is established pursuant to Board Policy 2.38.
4. EMPLOYEE EVALUATION COMMITTEE
  1. The Employee Evaluation Committee shall consist of at least two Board members who are appointed by the Chairperson. All Board members will be noticed of Employee Evaluation Committee meetings.
  2. The purpose of the Employee Evaluation Committee is to review and recommend revisions to the evaluation process, including the evaluation instrument, for the Board’s evaluation of the Superintendent and the Internal Board Auditor, each of whom is employed and evaluated annually by the Board. The annual evaluation process of the Superintendent and Internal Board Auditor will be in accordance with Policies 2.14 and 2.37, respectively.
  3. The Employee Evaluation Committee is advisory in nature and shall present its recommendations regarding the evaluation process to the Board for review and approval.
5. POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE
  1. The Policy Review Committee shall consist of a quasi-committee of the whole with each board member appearing on a rotating basis (based on a schedule to be developed by the Chairperson). A minimum of four board members shall attend, in addition to the Chairperson (who shall serve as the chairman and ex-officio voting member of the Committee). All Board members will be noticed of Policy Review Committee meetings.
  2. The purpose of the Policy Review Committee is to review recommendations for new or amended Board policies as submitted by the Superintendent or his/her designee, a Board member, a School
    Board employee, a citizen, or agency pursuant to Policy 2.25, and authorize the district’s advertisement of the public hearing notices for the Board’s subsequent public hearing and adoption of new and/or amended policies.
6. SPECIAL COMMITTEES – The Chairperson may appoint special committees as necessary to fulfill specific assignments. The function of the committees shall be fact-finding, deliberative, and advisory, but not administrative. Special committees shall report their findings to the Board and shall be dissolved upon
  completion of the assigned task or at the will of the Board.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 218.391, 286.011, 286.0114,1001.32, F.S. HISTORY: TRANSFERRED and ADOPTED: 10/6/2015 REVISED: JANUARY 7, 2019; JANUARY 7, 2020; FEBRUARY 1, 2022; MAY 3, 2022 FORMERLY: 2.26

2.36 ARTS ADVISORY COUNCIL

The School Board shall establish an Arts Advisory Council (AAC) to serve in an advisory capacity to the School Board and the Superintendent or his/her designee to offer recommendations and advice on issues that relate to the district’s comprehensive arts education of behalf of district students.The responsibilities of the Arts Advisory Council include the following:
1. Make recommendations to the Superintendent regarding cultural arts programs, activities, services, and policies;
2. Provide feedback from the community, including input from other individuals and organizations on issues relevant to public school arts education;
3. Serve as a resource and advocate to the district on a wide range of visual and performing arts mediums;
4. Work with the public to promote arts in the schools; and
5. Increase public awareness of arts programming in the schools. The Arts Advisory Council shall not assume any of the powers or duties now reserved by Florida Statutes for the School Board or its professional staff. Nothing contained in the District and/or local school accountability process shall be construed to lessen or otherwise alter the authority of the school principal as provided for in law, rules or regulations.
The District-approved Arts Advisory Council bylaws will be provided to the School board on an annual basis (with copies being maintained by the Superintendent or his/her designee). The District Arts Advisory Council shall meet regularly to conduct its business. Minutes of each meeting shall be kept, in accordance with the established bylaws.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.41, 1001.43, F.S HISTORY: ADOPTED: MAY 3, 2016 REVISION DATE(S): JUNE 5, 2018

2.37 INTERNAL BOARD AUDITOR EVALUATION

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to set forth the roles and responsibilities of the Duval County School Board in the performance evaluation of the Internal Board Auditor of Duval County Public Schools (С��ߣ). One of the most important and fundamental responsibilities of the Duval County School Board is the overall stewardship of District affairs, particularly related to fiscal policies, internal controls, and the quality of performance. These areas must be maintained through systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. The Internal Board Audit Function is an essential element in achieving these goals. As such, the Duval County School Board commits to an ongoing process that will provide for a periodic and systematic forum for full, fair, and frank dialogue between the Internal Board Auditor and the Board, to include a fair opportunity for the Internal Board Auditor to respond to comments of individual members of the Board.

OBJECTIVES

The Board shall strive to accomplish the following objectives in conducting the Internal Board Auditor’s written evaluation:

Ensure enhancement and protection of organizational value through, in part, the Internal Board Auditor’s independent and risk-based appraisal function.
Develop and sustain a harmonious working relationship between the Board and the Internal Board Auditor through honest and constructive communication regarding goals and performance.
Clarify and align the expectations of the Board and the Internal Board Auditor’s role with the District’s Strategic Plan goals.
Clarify the Internal Board Auditor’s role according to written criteria, as expressed in the Duval County Public Schools Internal Board Audit Charter, the Internal Board Auditor’s С��ߣ job description, statutory requirements, and the District’s goals Strategic Plan Goals.
Determine strengths, weaknesses and professional development needs of the Internal Board Auditor.
Foster an understanding among Board members and the community of the evaluation process.

EVALUATION INSTRUMENT

The Internal Board Auditor’s evaluation instrument aligns with the evaluation instrument for District Office Administrators and consists of three parts: Part 1: Evaluation Indicators; Part 2: Performance Targets; and Part 3: District and Department Initiatives and Projects. The Employee Evaluation Committee will establish targets and projects for the Internal Board Auditor as part of the evaluation process for the subsequent school year.

TIMING AND PROCESS

The annual evaluation process will include a formal, written evaluation and at least one interim, informal performance assessment. The Board will conduct the evaluation process in accordance with the DISTRICT OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR SUMMARY TIMELINE FOR BOARD EMPLOYEES in effect for the given school year. If at any time before the interim, informal performance assessment, or after such interim assessment but before the final evaluation, a Board member has concerns regarding the performance of the Internal Board Auditor, such Board member (or members) shall contact Human Resources, who will then notify the Board office that a publicly noticed meeting between the Board members is necessary to determine whether the Internal Board Auditor should be placed on a Growth Plan. If the Board approves the Internal Board Auditor being placed on a Growth Plan, Human Resources will draft such plan, and the Employee Evaluation Committee will monitor the Internal Board Auditor’s growth according to the Plan.

Following the final evaluation of the Internal Board Auditor, the Board members will individually complete the Performance Evaluation Instrument and will submit their evaluations to Human Resources, who will compute the average score of the Board members’ evaluations and create a summative evaluation. The summative evaluation will reflect the Board members’ average score, and the range in which the average score places the Internal Board Auditor (unsatisfactory, needs improvement, effective, or highly effective). The Board will vote on the final summative evaluation no later than the month of June of each year at a special Board meeting. Board members desiring to collaboratively discuss their respective final evaluations of the Internal Board Auditor will do so at a publicly noticed meeting prior to such special meeting. Further Board action will be required should the evaluation fall within the unsatisfactory range or needs improvement range. Should an evaluation fail to timely be conducted, the Internal Board Auditor’s contract will be renewed for an additional year.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.42, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 1001.42(12)(l),F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: OCTOBER 5, 2021 REVISION DATE(S): N/A FORMERLY: NEW

2.38 AUDIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Audit Advisory Committee is hereby created to provide the School Board with outside advice and comment from experts in auditing (internal or external), finance, information technology, risk management, and governance (Audit Professionals), who are not employed by the School Board.
The purpose of the Audit Advisory Committee is to:
1. Provide added oversight and recommendations to the School Board in discharging its responsibility for the overall stewardship of District affairs, particularly its financial management;
2. Provide public support for the District's audit programs;
3. provide assurances that the overall levels of audit coverage are both reasonable and appropriate to protect the District from undue risks;
4. Assist in obtaining effective corrective action and necessary improvement based upon audit findings and recommendations from external and internal auditors; and
5. Provide the Board and the public with additional assurances that the prescribed systems of internal controls are functioning as intended.
The Chairperson of the Auditor Selection Committee (or their designee appointed temporarily in their absence) referenced in Board Policy 2.35, shall serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the Audit Advisory Committee. In addition, the committee shall be composed as follows: One (1) member appointed by each of the seven (7) School Board members. School Board members should consider his/her appointee’s experience as an Audit Professional in making their appointment. In the event a School Board member chooses not to appoint an Audit Advisory Committee member or, alternatively, does not fill the seat of an appointee who has vacated the position, that Audit Advisory Committee seat will remain vacant during that School Board member’s term. Board members shall appoint or re-appoint their respective committee members or determine to leave their appointed committee seat vacant, if applicable, on or before January 31st of each year.
TERM OF SERVICE
All non-school board members serving in this role shall commit to a minimum of two (2) years of service and will serve at the pleasure of the Board member that appointed said committee member (i.e., if Board member so chooses, said committee member can be replaced at any time following appointment; conversely, if said committee member so
chooses and appointing Board member approves, said committee member can serve more than the minimum two year commitment). Notwithstanding the amount of time the committee member has served, a committee member's term shall continue beyond their appointing Board member's term of office and shall not end until such time as the succeeding Board member appoints a replacement committee member. In any event, said committee member, if replaced, can subsequently serve additional terms if appointed by another Board member.
Members of the Committee shall make every reasonable effort to attend all regular and special meetings. Any member who fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Committee without just cause may be removed from the Committee.
The Chairperson of the Audit Advisory Committee, who shall not be a school board member, shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the Auditor Selection Committee referenced in Board Policy 2.35.
The Committee shall meet at least quarterly and may meet more often if deemed necessary to carry out its functions. The Audit Advisory Chairperson shall determine the date, hour and place of meetings. Meetings may also be called at the written request of the majority of the members of the Audit Advisory Committee.
The Audit Advisory Committee shall be advisory in nature and its recommendations shall be provided in writing to the Board on a quarterly basis, or as requested by the School Board, at a Board Workshop, Regular Meeting or other publicly noticed board or committee meeting. In its advisory role, the Audit Advisory Committee is subject to the control and direction of the Board.
The Committee shall elect a chair and vice-chair. The term of office shall expire the earlier of (2) years or the officer no longer being a member of the Committee. All meetings and Committee proceedings must comply with Florida’s Sunshine and Public Records laws (Chapter 119 and s. 286.011, Florida Statutes). Meetings shall be noticed and open to the public and the Board administrative assistant shall record the minutes of the meeting.
The Committee shall provide oversight and recommendations with respect to the additional ad valorem tax millage for school operational purposes (Additional 1-Mill) to ensure appropriate spending. The Committee’s overview, findings, and recommendations shall be reported on an annual basis to the School Board, Superintendent, and the community. The annual report shall assess the implementation of the Additional 1-Mill to ensure that the proceeds are being spent in accordance with the Plan set forth in the School Board’s Resolution.
The Audit Advisory Committee shall provide oversight and recommendations with respect to the Internal Auditor’s duties and responsibilities set forth in Section 1001.42, to include:
1. The adequacy of internal controls designed to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse as defined in s. 11.45(1).
2. Compliance with applicable laws, rules, contracts, grant agreements, district school board-approved policies, and best practices.
3. The efficiency of operations.
4. The reliability of financial records and reports.
5. The safeguarding of assets.
6. Financial solvency.
7. Projected revenues and expenditures.
8. The rate of change in the general fund balance.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Review internal and external audit reports.
2. Review annual financial reports, including independent auditor's opinions, management letter comments, and staff responses.
3. Recommend to the Board audits of activities/areas of the District as needed.
4. Submit summary reports to the Board on a periodic basis on all audits reviewed.
5. Perform specific Committee assignments as requested by vote of the Board.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
1. School Internal Audits
  - Review and make recommendations, if appropriate, as to the annual plan for the District’s Internal Audit Department;
  - Review management's implementation of recommendations made by the school internal auditors, or reasons why recommendations are not being implemented;
  - Make recommendations related to the effectiveness of the internal audit effort; and
  - Review the adequacy of the District’s Internal Audit Department’s budget in relation to planned activities
2. External Audits
  - Provide oversight and recommendations related to performance of external auditing firms when necessary; and
  - Review the annual financial statements and the accountants' reports, including management letters related to improving the accounting and internal control systems.
3. Internal Board Audits
  - Review and make recommendations with respect the Internal Board Audit Charter as necessary.
  - Provide proposed audit projects for the annual plan of Internal Board Audit activities.
  - Review and make recommendations as to the annual plan for Internal Board Audit activities.
  - Review the recommendations contained in Internal Board Audit reports and provide additional guidance and recommendation as deemed necessary.
No actions taken in meetings of the Audit Advisory Committee are binding upon the Board or may take the place of Board action. However, committee reports submitted to the Board may contain certain recommendations requiring Board action.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The appointed members of the Audit Advisory Committee and their employers shall abstain from the procurement process for the sale of services or products to Duval County Public Schools during the term of their service on the committee and for two (2) years from the date that their service has concluded. It is each committee member’s responsibility to disclose any conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest to the Committee and the Duval County School Board’s Internal Auditor. In addition to avoiding conflicts of interest, committee members should also avoid even the appearance of a conflict. Any questions on whether committee members should recuse themselves from a vote should be directed to the City of Jacksonville Office of General Counsel. Any portion or provisions of this paragraph that are deemed in conflict with Florida Law shall be considered null and void.
The Superintendent, the Chief of Staff or the Deputy Superintendent, the Chief Financial Officer, the Internal School Board Auditor, and the Office of General Counsel shall provide staff support to the Committee as necessary to accomplish its purpose.
Audit Advisory Committee requests for information should be responded to in a timely manner and no more than fourteen (14) days after the request. If the Superintendent or designee believes that the information cannot be provided within the fourteen (14) days, the superintendent or designee shall inform, in writing, the committee member requesting the information and copy the remaining committee members, as to why the request cannot be responded to within the fourteen (14) days and on what date certain the information can be provided. Requests deemed by the Superintendent as requiring excess staff time for completion will be referred for consideration to the full Committee to determine if the request will be fulfilled.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 1001.41, F.S. LAW(S) IMPLEMENTED: 218.391, 286.011, 286.0114,1001.32, F.S. HISTORY: ADOPTED: FEBRUARY 1, 2022 REVISION DATE(S): JULY 11, 2022; NOVEMBER 1, 2022; MARCH 7, 2023; JULY 10, 2023 FORMERLY: NEW