The Thatcher Unified School District's policy manual is available on the Arizona School Boards Association's Policy Bridge website. Click here to access the website and then scroll down and expand Thatcher Unified School District No. 4 to see the policies in each of the areas.
THATCHER, GRAHAM COUNTY, ARIZONA
INTRODUCTION
This Manual contains the policies of the Governing Board and administrative regulations and exhibits of the Superintendent. An electronic format has been selected for this Manual to facilitate access to current documents and to upload new and edited documents for Policy Services review.
How to Use This Manual
The Thatcher Unified School District No. 4 is operated in accordance with policies established by the Board and regulations developed by the Superintendent. The Board, which represents the state and local community, adopts policies after careful deliberation, and the school administration implements the policies through specific regulations and exhibits. The Board and administration evaluate the effects of the policies, regulations and exhibits and revise them as necessary.
The Manual will be accessible at the District office and at such other places as designated by the Superintendent, and through the Arizona School Boards Association website at http://azsba.org/.
How the Manual is organized. The Manual is organized according to the classification system of the National School Boards Association. The system provides an efficient means of coding, filing, and locating policies.
Please note: All copies of this Manual are the property of the Thatcher Unified School District No. 4.
There are twelve (12) major classifications, each identified by an alphabetical code:
A FOUNDATIONS AND BASIC COMMITMENTS
B SCHOOL BOARD GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONS
C GENERAL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
D FISCAL MANAGEMENT
E SUPPORT SERVICES
F FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT
G PERSONNEL
H MEET AND CONFER
I INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM
J STUDENTS
K SCHOOL - COMMUNITY RELATIONS
L EDUCATION AGENCY RELATIONS
How to find a policy. To find a specific policy in the Manual, determine where the policy would be found in the twelve (12) major classifications. Open the electronic Manual on the Association Home Page. Select the icon to the left of the District name to open the table of contents. Select the policy section you want to access. All documents in the Manual are coded in the center of the top page.
If you can't find the policy use the Advanced Search tab at the top of the page in PolicyBridge to search for policies that contain language related to your inquiry.
Using the symbols. Various symbols are used in connection with the classification system. They are for your use in locating and/or recognizing the authority of the statements. Included are the following:
REGULATION
-R This symbol following a code indicates that the statement is a regulation, not a policy, and is generally the direction of the Superintendent to the staff for the implementation of a Policy. If there is more than one (1) regulation, the "-R" will be followed by a letter; e.g., "-RA," "-RB," et cetera.
EXHIBIT
-E Exhibit. This symbol following a code indicates that the statement is a reference document. The exhibit is there to show the form to be used or for the purpose of information which may support the policy or regulation. If there is more than one (1) reference document, the "-E" will be followed by a letter; e.g., "-EA," "-EB," et cetera.
Using References. Implementation of policies requires coordination with other policies and regulations. A policy does not usually stand alone. For example the policy on Suspension is an integral part of the implementation of the policy on Weapons. The Weapons policy specifies what weapons are and how extensive the discipline may be but does not contain the step by step due process procedure necessary to accomplish the suspension of the student. That is found in the policy on Student Suspension. To assist districts with this complexity of policy, there may be a side heading at the bottom of each policy (not regulation) identifying cross referenced material and/or legal references. When implementing policies, these cross references and laws should be reviewed for applicability.
LEGAL REF.: Pertinent legal references are given to inform the reader where in law certain statutes that relate to a policy may be found. References direct the reader to the federal or state laws, pertinent government agency regulations, and selected legal opinions. The following abbreviations are used in legal references:
A.A.C. Arizona Administrative Code
A.G.O. Attorney General Opinion
A.R.S. Arizona Revised Statutes
C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulation
P.L. Public Law (federal law as it is identified by
Congress). Such laws will at some time after
passage be codified in the United States Code
USFR Uniform System of Financial Records
U.S.C. United States Code
CROSS REF.: Certain policies are related to other policies. Cross references are provided following many statements to help the reader find the related information. This related information should be referenced for an understanding of the policy.
About Board Policies
One of the Board’s primary roles is to adopt policy, and the role of the administration is to execute it. The basic distinction as set forth by the National School Boards Association is:
A. Policies are principles adopted by the Board to chart a course of action. They tell what is wanted and may include also why and how much. They are broad enough to indicate a line of action to be taken by the administration in meeting a number of day-to-day problems; they need to be narrow enough to give the administration clear guidance.
B. Regulations are the detailed directions developed by the administration to put policy into practice. They tell how, by whom, where, and when things are to be done.
C. Exhibits are checklists, sample documents, forms, and other informational items to assist in implementing policies or procedures.
D. The state and federal governments at times require governing boards to make detailed rules, or the Governing Board may decide that such rules are necessary. In spite of the detailed nature of such rules, once adopted by the Board they become policy.
Therefore:
A. Where the Board has voluntarily adopted statements of principle or written regulations required by law or has established a position in particularly sensitive areas, and one or more of them are incorporated into policy, the entire statement is presented as policy.
B. Where the Board has adopted rules concerning its own operations (for instance, how it conducts meetings), these statements concerning operations of the Board also appear as policy.
As long as the administration operates within the guidelines of policy adopted by the Board, it may issue regulations without prior Board approval unless Board action is required by law or unless the Board has specifically directed that certain types of regulations be given Board approval. The Board, of course, is to be kept informed of all District regulations issued by the administration, and all are subject to Board review.
Is the Manual Complete?
No. The Manual contains all of the current written policies of the Board. However, there is an almost continual need to draft and adopt new written policies and revise the existing ones. Additionally, changes in state law and State Board of Education regulations may necessitate policy modifications. No matter how well a policy manual is conceived and developed, it can never be totally comprehensive and absolutely up to date. Therefore, as new policies are developed and adopted, they will be coded according to the classification system and inserted into the Manual.
Order of precedence. Board policies must be read and interpreted in conformance with the applicable state and federal statutes and regulations. Wherever inconsistencies of interpretation arise, the law and regulations prevail.
Terminology
Whenever the term Superintendent appears in this Manual it is to be interpreted as "Superintendent or a person designated by the Superintendent."
Whenever the term principal appears in this Manual it is to be interpreted as "principal or a person designated by the principal."
Whenever the term District appears in this Manual it is to be interpreted as the "Thatcher Unified School District No. 4."
Whenever the terms Board or Governing Board appear in this Manual they are to be interpreted as the "Governing Board of the Thatcher Unified School District No. 4."
Whenever the term day appears in this Manual it is to be interpreted as any day in which the District or School Administrative Offices conduct business.
Whenever the term school day appears in this Manual it is to be interpreted as any day in which the students are present for instruction.
Whenever the term parent appears in this Manual it is to be interpreted as parent or legal guardian and the legal guardian is a person to whom custody of the child has been given by order of a court.
It is the expectation of the Board that this collection of policies provides a platform for harmony and efficiency in all areas of school operations. This enables the Board to focus on its primary duty: the development of long-range plans and policies for the future of the School District.
Governing Board