Policy Services

How does Erie 1 develop new policies?

Our staff researches changes to state and federal laws and regulations affecting education. At times, these changes require amendments to existing policies and administrative regulations, or the development of entirely new policies and regulations. In the event a new policy is required, we draft the document in such a way as to ensure legal compliance and, to the extent possible, district flexibility. After the draft policy is prepared and reviewed by our staff, it is placed in our catalog of sample policies. Your school district must subscribe to one of our maintenance services (Level 1, 2 or 3) or be completing a new policy manual with Erie 1 to receive new policies.

How can a district determine when a policy is necessary?

For districts that subscribe to our Policy Update service, the Policy Pulse newsletter provides a thorough explanation of why a policy should be adopted or is necessary. This newsletter contains an explanation for the development or revision of the policy. It will also indicate whether the policy is required by law. This will give your Board of Education the information they need to make sound, informed decisions on policy adoption. All new policies should be reviewed - with the assistance of counsel and considered with the needs of your own school district and its students in mind.

What is the law or legal authority this policy change is based on?

Citations at the end of each policy give a reference to the law or regulation the policy is based on. Where appropriate, our policies contain language taken directly from relevant law and regulation. If you have questions about the legal citations incorporated into a particular policy, feel free to contact your assigned policy coordinator.

Why do my policy and regulation sound the same?

Policy and regulation may have similar wording, as regulation is based on policy. Regulations provide greater detail as to how policy should be implemented or incorporated into district practices. Not every district has a regulations manual and repetition is, at times, necessary to ensure that all districts get the language they need to be in compliance with law.

Do we have to put suggested policies in the manual?

Policy Services suggests that your manual be continually reviewed and updated. Laws and regulations are constantly changing, which affects Policy for school districts. Issues, changing needs and various district events may also affect policy. We offer three different levels of service to assist districts in the continuous maintenance of their policy manuals. Please refer to the "Our Services" and "Definition of Terms" documents for further information on these services. If your policy manual has not been reviewed or revised in over three years, you may wish to consider developing a new manual.

Some policies must be reviewed on an annual basis in accordance with law or regulation. Our office maintains a list of such policies, which is available through your policy coordinator.

How do I access Monthly Updates on the Erie 1 BOCES website?

If you subscribe to Monthly Updates (or are in the process of developing a new manual), you will receive an email when a new Policy or Administrative Update has been posted to the SharePoint platform. The link to the Online Updates Database can also be found under Our Subscribing Districts. Updates are stored chronologically and can be searched by key words. If you have any difficulty with the Database within SharePoint, please contact your assigned policy coordinator for assistance. 

How do I access Quarterly Revisions on the Erie 1 BOCES website?

If you subscribe to the Quarterly Revisions, you will receive an email when a new set of Policy or Administrative Recommended Revisions has been posted to the SharePoint platform. The link to the Online Quarterly Database can also be found under Our Subscribing Districts. With the new SharePoint database, you will now have access to both the “tracked” and/or "clean" copies of the Policies or Regulations/Forms that are maintained on this site. If you have any difficulty accessing the Quarterly Revisions, please contact your assigned policy coordinator for assistance.

Who do I contact for policy requests and sample policies?

Each district is assigned a policy coordinator when they begin the process of developing a new manual. That coordinator will remain with your district throughout your service with Erie 1 BOCES. If you do not have your assigned coordinator's name or phone number, call us at (716) 821-7072 for more information. You can also email your coordinator directly if you need assistance. Although you may receive email updates and information from our support staff, they cannot be contacted for policy advice. All service requests should flow through the policy coordinators.

How do I assign numbers to new policies?

The Policy Manual is broken down into eight sections:

1000's By-Laws

2000's Internal Operations

3000's Community Relations

4000's Administration

5000's Non-Instructional/Business Operations

6000's Personnel

7000's Students

8000's Instruction

Each of these sections has a different scope and addresses a different topic. New policies will generally include a recommended number or will indicate a recommended number that is already assigned to a district-specific policy. In such cases, a new policy should be added to the section or sub-section that governs group of people whose actions are being regulated (for example, a policy that is intended to apply only to teachers should be added to the 6000's), or addresses the topic at issue (for example, purchasing policies should be added to the 5000's). Once a section or sub-section has been identified, add the policy in a place that makes sense in terms of that section or sub-section's organizational scheme. Select the next number in the sequence. If 0 through 9 in that sequence are already taken, move to the next set of ten numbers, if available.

Example:

1. The district wishes to add a new policy on a Student Volunteer Program as a new item – look for a policy a similar topic such as School Volunteers which is Policy #3150;
2. Look for other policies similar to Volunteers after #3150 – Most likely, there are none;
3. The new policy would therefore become #3151, which the next available number in the Volunteer sequence since it is a subheading of Volunteers in general;
4. Any corresponding Regulations or Forms relating to the Student Volunteer Program would be numbered to match the policy, #3151R or #3151F.

If you have additional questions about numbering our sample policies, please do not hesitate to contact your policy coordinator.