Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the About page for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). 

No. TASB has no regulatory or enforcement authority. Work with the district's administration to discuss questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding the district’s policy.

• Almost all Texas school districts subscribe to Policy On Line®, an internet-based tool for publishing district policy.
• Districts that publish their board policies online should have a link to Policy On Line on their website, making it easier for you to find and review current policies for that district.
• To review a district’s policies, visit that district's website.

There are four types of documents that may be included in a policy manual, each serving a unique purpose. Each document is devoted to a separate area of district governance. For detailed information, review the policy manual Introduction (pdf).

• Legal policies: Legally referenced policies reflect current law and are updated by TASB as laws change. They are not adopted by the board.
• Local policies: Addressing everything from student attendance to use of school facilities, local policies are directives from the board to the school district saying what is to be done. Each district adopts, updates, and readopts local policies as needed.
• Regulations: These documents outline how things are done and are developed by administrators.
• Exhibits: Also known as forms, exhibits are supporting documents that work with policies and regulations. An exhibit can be a form to be filled out by a student, parent, employee, or member of the public, or a chart or illustration that accompanies a policy or regulation.

The district’s board policy manual online includes basic and advanced search options. Use the Help page on the Welcome! screen for further instructions.

• A district of innovation designation allows traditional independent school districts to access most of the flexibilities available to Texas’ open enrollment charter schools.
• A district may want to pursue specific innovations in curriculum, instruction, governance, parent or community involvement, the school calendar, and budgeting.
• Find out more on the District of Innovation FAQ page.

Board trustees have access to TASB’s members-only site, myTASB, which offers useful and time-saving resources to help trustees better serve students, parents, administrators, teachers, and district staff. Board members have access to the following materials in the Policy Service Resource Library on myTASB:

• The Board Member’s Guide to Policy clarifies the board’s role in policy development and adoption as one aspect of district governance. It details the role of Policy Service in helping boards and administrators comply with federal, state, and local mandates while meeting the needs of their communities.
• School District Policy 101 answers some basic questions to help you better understand your board policy manual and the policy development process.
• Policy Manual Update Resources includes: 
  • Local Policy Overview; a broad summary of the update, with brief descriptions of policy changes. The Local Policy Overview is also available in a video format, along with a written transcript.
  • Legal Issues Memo; a description of common legal concerns.
  • Policy Reference Manual Annotated Update packet; the changes to the legally referenced policies.
• Policy Development Tips offers practical legal advice about policy topics that affect school districts. The information should not be considered a substitute for legal opinion from the district’s own attorney.

Other myTASB resources include:

• The Star, an official TASB member publication. Produced monthly, the newsletter provides reminders and quick updates to help you stay productive.
• Superintendent Contracts, developed by TASB Legal Services. This guide helps board members who are negotiating new contracts or seeking a better understanding of the current superintendent contract.
• View TASB Board Service and the TASB Store for additional resources.

If you need access to myTASB send an email myTASB@tasb.org

Policy Service assigns a consultant to each member district. Visit our contact page to locate your district’s consultant. You can communicate with them via email or by calling 800.580.7529.

No. School district boards need only adopt local policy.

Yes, it is up to the district administration and board to decide what works best for your district. In most cases, the update recommendations made by your TASB policy consultant will work for the district. Occasionally, revisions to the policy text are necessary to match district practices. Your policy consultant can work with the district to offer information, answer questions, and provide a revised draft, if needed.

If you need help with a policy, call our staff Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., at 800.580.7529, or send an email to policy.service@tasb.org. A TASB policy consultant is assigned to each subscribing district. Visit our contact page to find your district’s consultant.

Looking for a specific resource? The Policy Service Resource Library is a collection of publications and resources to help your district run smoothly. It’s located on myTASB.
(Access to myTASB is available to superintendents, executive assistants, and the district's policy contact. If you need access, speak to your Policy Service consultant.)

• The Administrator's Guide to Policy Management gives a detailed summary of the policy contact's role in maintaining and implementing policy.
• The Model Student Handbook is a template, available in English and Spanish, that member districts can adjust to suit their practices. We encourage districts to use the Model to annually update their handbooks to communicate essential information to students and parents for the current school year.
• The Model Student Code of Conduct is a template, available in English and Spanish, intended to assist districts in developing and maintaining their local Student Code of Conduct, mandated by Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code.
• Policy Manual Update Resources offers several resources to help districts understand the changes contained in the numbered policy updates.
• The Regulations Resource Manual contains administrative documents, updated two to three times a year, that help superintendents create local procedures and regulations. Guides to help you use this resource are: A User’s Guide to the Regulations Resource Manual and a tutorial video.
• The Policy Reference Manual is a comprehensive, regularly updated compilation of federal and state law, case law, State Board of Education rules, and other legal authority affecting the governance of Texas school districts. This resource helps trustees and superintendents learn about the statutory context for school district governance.
• Policy Development Tips give practical legal advice about policy topics that affect school districts. The information should not be considered a substitute for legal opinion from the district’s own attorney.
• The video series Numbered Updates and the Localized Policy Manual explains the customized update packets that Policy Service sends to districts about three times per year.

Access is given to your district's superintendent, superintendent's administrative assistant, and the district's designated policy contact. 

If other administrators need access, please call 800.580.7529 or email policy.service@tasb.org to request access

A policy contact is the district employee who coordinates all policy-related matters with the district's Policy Service consultant. Depending on the size of the district, a policy contact may be the superintendent, another central office administrator, or an administrative assistant assigned to an administrator or the board.

Yes. A Policy Service consultant is assigned to each subscribing district. Members can talk with a policy consultant by phone or email. Your district’s policy consultant can:

• Answer policy questions based on your district’s local practice and knowledge of practices in districts across the state.
• Create drafts of local polcies for board consideration.
• Provide expert feedback on your district’s current or draft policies.
• Conduct training with board members or administrators on policy topics.
• Visit your district for a policy review session.

Contact your Policy Service consultant for additional information. 

There are four types of documents that may be included in a policy manual, each serving a unique purpose:

• Legal policies: Legally referenced policies reflect current law and are updated by TASB as laws change. They are not adopted by the board.
• Local policies: Addressing everything from student attendance to use of school facilities, local policies are directives from the board to the school district saying what is to be done. Each district adopts, updates, and readopts local policies as the need arises.
• Regulations: These documents involve how things are done, and they are developed by administrators.
• Exhibits: Also known as forms, exhibits are supporting documents that work with policies and regulations. An exhibit can be a form to be filled out by a student, parent, employee, or member of the public, or a chart, table, or illustration that accompanies a policy or regulation.

Policy manuals are divided into seven sections, each devoted to a separate area of district governance:

• A—Basic District Foundations
• B—Local Governance
• C—Business and Support Services
• D—Personnel
• E—Instruction
• F—Students
• G—Community and Governmental Relations

A localized policy manual is a customized set of board-adopted and legally referenced policies designed to meet a district’s legal requirements and address local issues. Policy Service consultants collaborate with each district’s superintendent and board of trustees to develop and maintain these manuals. The cost of maintaining a localized policy manual is not included in a Policy Service subscription.

Policy On Line (POL) is an internet-based tool for publishing district policy, providing a quick, inexpensive, and easy electronic alternative to hard-copy manuals. Subscribers publish links to POL on their websites, making it easier for the public to find and review current policies. Districts can also distribute key policies electronically to employees at the beginning of every school year—saving time, labor, and printing costs.  The cost of subscribing to POL is not included in a Policy Service subscription.

We recommend the district maintain at least one paper copy of the board policy manual. Use this copy to show the board adoption dates of the district’s local policies, as Policy On Line does not incorporate adoption dates. More information can be found in The Administrator’s Guide to Policy Management (pdf).

If you will be recommending a new policy or a policy change to your board, contact your Policy Service consultant before presenting it to your board.

Your assigned consultant can draft policy language and revisions that meet legal requirements and local needs for presentation to the board, while ensuring internal consistency within your manual. Policy Service processes policy changes in the following manner.

• Local District Updates (LDUs): Small, district-initiated policy updates—everything from changing the time of board meetings to adjusting language regarding teacher compensation. On average, Policy Service processes between 200 and 300 LDUs per month. It’s important for districts to submit local policy changes to their policy consultant as soon as possible. 
• Board-adopted policy: Following board adoption of a new policy or policy change, always email the adopted policy to your district’s policy consultant. Our editorial and legal team will take care of the rest.
• Policy On Line: Policy changes are placed online as soon as possible.

The district’s policy consultant will mail or email the district a copy of the adopted policy.

If your board has adopted a new local policy, contact your policy consultant to have the policy processed and added to your Policy On Line.

Yes, if a court or another governmental authority requires your district to produce a local policy that was in force as of a certain date, your historical file will be the only source for that information. Your district must also comply with records retention requirements under the Local Government Records Act. Retention periods will depend on your district’s records control schedule. Most districts have adopted a records control schedule that complies with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) retention schedules.

Federal and state laws change continuously, and many of these revisions go into effect soon after they are enacted. Policy Service issues two to three updates a year to keep districts’ policy manuals in compliance with law.

A numbered update packet reflects changes in state and federal law, court cases, and decisions by attorneys general and the commissioner of education. An update also includes recommended revisions to local policies when changes are warranted. Policy Service consultants customize update recommendations for each individual district.

For each update your district will recieve a hard-copy packet that contains:

• Newly proposed policies and revisions to existing policies,
• Instructions for updating district hard-copy manuals.

Electronic update materials, called Local Manual Updates (LMUs), are also provided if you subscribe to Policy On Line®. LMUs are available to superintendents, their administrative assistants, and policy contacts in myTASB and include:

• Update Packet–Complete (pdf)
• Update Packet–(LOCAL) Policies (pdf)
• (LOCAL) Policy Comparison (pdf)
• (LOCAL) Policy Comparison (Word docs/Zip)
• Editable (LOCAL) Policy (Word docs/Zip)
• Agenda Posting: (LOCAL) Word Policy List (Word)
• Explanatory Notes (pdf)
• Instruction Sheet (pdf)

How to Use Local Manual Updates contains additional details about the LMU.

Local Manual Updates is provided to districts who use Policy On Line. Included are editable (LOCAL) Policies. These policies can be downloaded and distributed to the appropriate administrator as email attachments.

1. Go to Local Manual Updates and click the “notify TASB” link.

2. Fill out and submit the electronic Adoption Notification Form for TASB-Initiated Updates.

Many legislative changes become effective before or at the beginning of the school year, and districts want to ensure their policies meet the new requirements.

To address the time during which local policies are still being updated to comply with new laws, Policy Service recommends the following provision be included in policy: 

BF(LOCAL) Harmony with Law: Newly enacted law is applicable when effective. No policy or regulation, or any portion thereof, shall be operative if it is found to be in conflict with applicable law.

We provide annotated (or red-lined) pdfs of changes made to legal policies in two places. They are in Policy Manual Update Resources and the recent Updates section of the Policy Reference Manual.

The Policy Manual Update Resources page includes for the latest three Updates:

• Local Policy Overview Video
• Local Policy Overview Video transcript (pdf)
• Legal Issues Memo (pdf)
• Policy Reference Manual Annotated Update packet (pdf)

If you have questions about a Legal Advisory letter issued to your district, please contact Legal Services at 800.580.5345.

Even the best maintained policy manuals need a periodic overhaul. A policy review session offers a comprehensive review of a district’s policies to ensure that they are up-to-date and consistent with changing local priorities.

Policy Service recommends a thorough policy review and audit every five to seven years—sooner if your district’s local priorities or philosophies have shifted.

It’s time for a policy review when:

• A district discovers significant discrepancies between board policy and the student or employee handbook,
• A district needs to clarify, revisit, or refresh its goals and objectives with staff and the board,
• A district’s administrative staff and board need training in policy manual development and maintenance, and
• Campus practices aren’t consistent (for example, some campuses require a doctor’s note after five days’ absence, some after three, and others not at all).

To discuss scheduling a policy review session, contact your Policy Service consultant.

Yes. Every spring, Policy Service publishes a Model Student Handbook, a template that member districts can adjust to suit their practices. We encourage districts to use the Model to annually update their handbooks to communicate essential information to students and parents for the current school year. For more information, visit our Model Student Handbook page.

Yes. Though Policy Service publishes its Model Student Code of Conduct biennially after legislative sessions, districts should review and update their Student Code of Conduct every year. For more information, go to our Model Student Code of Conduct page.

Chapter 37 deals with appropriate disciplinary responses to student offenses committed both on and off campus. TASB Legal Services has provided a chart to assist school officials (pdf) in determining the appropriate disciplinary responses to student offenses. This resource is based on the requirements of Texas Education Code Chapter 37 and common provisions of local districts’ Student Codes of Conduct. After the legislative session, Policy Service updates the Chapter 37 text, with and without annotations.