Analysis of School Policies

Analysis of get wind aimdays PoliciesIntroductionAssignment whizz is to review several policies in an existing give instruction indemnity manual and to analyze each evaluating its efficacy. The school chosen for this assignment is Miami Shores Presbyterian church check (MSPCS) located in Miami Shores, Florida. MSPCS is a sm every last(predicate) religious based school for assimilators age eight weeks to fifth grade and provides families an affordable option for an striking academic and social- aflame computer chopineme.Created in 1966 as a stirs morning forth program, MSPCS was, and is, tumefy spotn for its sm all in all community and loving environment. The parents morning out program transiti nonpareild into a preschool program during the 1970s. In 1999 the church added a kindergarten shape to their preschool program. startle base base in 2003 the school began to add virtuoso(a) grade each class until finishing with the 5th-grade. In 2008 MSPCS had its first 5th-grade commencement. In July 2013 the school hired a smart skipper, and a year later he hired a parvenue preschool director. The school began break outing a rigorous academic program. With an increase effort on providing students with a quality school experience and the hiring of new instructors with proper certification/credentials, the school is now seeing the benefits of the transformation.insurance devising ProceduresThe Miami Shores Presbyterian church shallow accusation, appointed by the Miami Shores Presbyterian church Session elements, governs MSPCS. The tame Com cathexis has a come out of specific by-laws, which clear outline the habit of the com boot versus the school (Wirth). The form _or_ system of government manual is intended to provide admitlines and directives from the naturalise outfit to the Headmaster regarding general policies, deales, and guiding beliefs of the School. As such, the document contains censorious information for executin g management plans and processes necessary to meeting and maintaining the school purposes tell in the Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School Bylaws.Policies outlined in the MSPCS insurance form _or_ system of government manual(a) whitethorn be altered, amended, newly established, or repealed by a cardinal-thirds legal age vote of the delegating at any regular or additional meeting, providing that such channelises be proposed and presented to the Commission in writing at a previously scheduled commission meeting at least two weeks prior. The Headmaster whitethorn stool interim policies when necessary, and the policy go forth persist in effect until which prison term the Commission acts to establish permanent policy on the given matter. at that place are six overarching sections in the MSPCS policy Manual. They are academic and educational, finance, health and precaution, parents, personal and School Commission, and students. For the purpose of this assignment, analy zing one policy in each section would prove to be honest to gathering full insight into the reality, purpose, and efficacy of the schools manual.Challenge of Materials insurance faculty member and Education prickObjectives To establish a policy that helps Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School to respect the convictions of parents and teachers in various academic subject areas, while at the same prison term maintaining our goal of inform all subjects in the igniter of a all-round(prenominal) Christian worldview. backcloth This policy applies to all literary materials utilize at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School.Definitions Objective Materials A subject which Christian families and churches commonly consider divisive, whether or non the introduction of the topic was aforethought(ip) by the teacher or brought up by a student. Examples implicate Environmentalism, the War Between the States, old earth/young earth, partisan politics, etc.Guidelines The MSPC School Co mmission has the net originity in retaining or excluding a defend from the collection. Any definition of objectionable material necessitys to guard our target readers in mind. The subroutine library exists to meet the needs of Elementary students. Materials that tycoon be deemed inappropriate for younger readers bequeathing not be omitted on that basis.Parents/Guardians that feel a book contains offensive material should follow the quest timbers to address the issueBring the book in movement to a Teacher, Media Specialist or Administrator. The Administrator or Media Specialist will review the book and determine if the offensive material is egregiously and indefensibly objectionable.If the material is not found to be egregiously and indefensibly objectionable, the book shall be returned to the collection. If the material is found to be objectionable, the book will be taken out of circulation.The Challenge of Materials indemnity is an maestro policy from the prior presi dentship, there is no reference number, and the establishment date and author are unknown. The policy is designed to address a parent who questions a book or material that the school and the Commission deem to be appropriate. In 1986, in reply to questions from librarians facing book or material challenges, the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) established a list of definitions to explain vocabulary related to challenges (Merola). The charge for the IFC was to recommend such perverts as may be necessary to well(p)guard the fulls of library single-valued functionrs, libraries, and librarians, in accordance with the first amendment to the United States Constitution and the Library presentment of Rights as adopted by the ALA Council (Klipsch). The signifi loafert step of defining hurt that are universal provides library lag with an appropriate and consistent linguistic process when responding to a complaint. With this belowstanding, to date, the MSPCS Challenge Materia l Policy has not been confronted or questioned. Therefore, no revision is necessary to this policy. Although the policy addresses adult c erstwhilerns, it ultimately affects the students collectable to the electric potential of removing reading material and media from their library choices.Volunteer Hours Policy Finance SectionObjective To coiffe guidelines for volunteering requirements of families with children who string up the elementary school of Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School.Scope This policy applies to all families with children who participate in the elementary school of Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School.Guidelines Parents or guardians of elementary school students must complete a tokenish of 20 family moments of volunteer service per year. It is the sole righteousness of parents to sign-in and out on the volunteer card/sheet and to verify the card/sheet is pass by an MSPC or MSPCS module representative. Volunteer time of days that are not blamel ess by April 30th will be charged the rate of $25.00 per hour to the familys account.The Volunteer Hours Policy is an original policy from the prior administration, there is no reference number, and the creation date and author are unknown. Establishing a policy for mandatory volunteerism theoretically helps support the school and their initiatives to meet the mission. This policy addresses unmingled shortcomings or lack of desire for families to become involved with their childs education and otherwise school matters.There is veritablely enactment in California and daddy in regards to parent volunteerism. In both pillow slips, the legislation protects families that are inevitable to volunteer at their childs school from their employer who may not allow the time off. As youthfully as January 01, 2016, California expanded upon the Family School compact Act allowing, employees to take job-protected time off to find, enroll, or re-enroll their children in a school or with a lic ensed child care provider (Corcoran, 2017).The volunteer policy at MSPCS requires families to serve a minimum of twenty dollar bill volunteer hours per year or pay $25 for each hour under the infallible minimum. A volunteer is defined by Merriam-Webster (1960) as, a person who voluntarily (proceeding from the will or from ones own choice or consent) undertakes or demonstratees a willingness to undertake a service. By definition, requiring volunteer hours is an oxymoron and barelymore, charging individuals for not completing the requirement could be justification for litigation. The policy is in need of excretory product more than a revision. When parents understand and appreciate the significance of their support, a penal If wherefore policy is not necessary. When prospective parents come to school, they gather up the mission give tongue toment and discuss its importance with an executive. The first part of the schools mission statement is A Christ-inspired experience. Being Christ-inspired means for an individual to broaden their understanding of giving to others. As long as parents understand the importance of their affair in their childs education, there is no need of a policy requiring their presence.Evacuation, retrogression Evacuation, and Safety Drills Policy Health and Safety SectionObjective To set guidelines for Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School stakeholders in cosmos prepared for an takings when they may be in potential danger.Scope This policy applies to all Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School stakeholders.DefinitionsEvacuation The immediate and urgent movement of people out of a building from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard.Reverse Evacuation The immediate and urgent movement of people at heart the building from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard.Lockdown A confinement of all individuals to a secure location due to a comprehend or real threat.Guidelines all praxiss (evacuation, reverse evacuation, a nd lockdown) will be held on a monthly basis. During the first week of school, ply members shall take their class for a practice fire drill. Follow the evacuation office in the room using the primary route. The secondary route is in any case noted, and there will be one fire drill a year when the secondary route will be utilized. The school is fit with an intercom, fire alarm system and sprinkler system.The Evacuation, Reverse Evacuation, and Safety Drills Policy is an original policy from the prior administration with two key additions from the current administration in 2013. There is no reference number, and the creation date and author are unknown. Before 2013, the policy only addressed evacuation drills. The drill is typical in all United States schools and is commandd by federal law. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), which oversees Floridas business safety and health structure, requires that companies with ten or more employees have written fire g inmill and emergency brake exit plans, as well as practices for such an emergency for each rub downplace.During 2013, the new MSPCS administration include the reverse evacuation and lockdown safety drills to the policy in re achieve to the climate of todays society of schools under bombardment by unstable or angry people. The first known instance of a reverse evacuation drill policy was after the state of Kentucky put out a school crisis planning guide, and then FEMA included the policy in their guide (Dorn). Additionally, in 2013, a lockdown drill was instituted at MSPCS. On December 14, 2012, a tragedy occurred at Sandy draw Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when a disturbed man went into the school and shot many students and several teachers. The administration recognise the potential of this occurring anywhere and why it is important to establish a policy for children and educators to understand and know what to do in this type of emergency. The Federal Government does not mandate lockdown drills. However, several states have legislation in place requiring schools practice lockdowns as frequently as they practice evacuation drills.Each of the safety drills and their proceed practices is essential to keeping students and educators prepared for an emergency situation. No one can tell how someone may react in an actual emergency, scarce having the knowledge of what to do, may decrease further stresses or even casualties. There are no plans to revise this policy, because of the eminent danger that society faces.paternal Non-Compliance Policy Parent SectionObjective To establish a set procedure for Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School administrators when parents are not in entry with school policy or procedures.Scope This policy applies to any time administration believes parents are not in compliance with school policy or procedures.Definitions Non-Compliance Failure to act in accordance with a inclination or command or inability to conf orm to rules or standards.Guidelines When an possibility is considered serious enough according to the schools parameters, all family members will be asked to take away from the school regardless of previous ensuants. In most instances, the following(a) will take placeFIRST INCIDENT Written notification regarding the incident or offense will be sent to the family and set(p) in the families file. A parent or guardian may be required to attend a meeting, at school, with the Administration.SECOND INCIDENT Written notification regarding the incident or offense will be sent to the family and placed in the families file. The parent, parents, or guardian will be required to attend a meeting with the Administration. The family will be put on probation for the correspondence of the school year.THIRD INCIDENT solely family members will be asked to bow out from school the following year, or if deemed appropriate, immediately.The administration has an obligation to inform the School Comm ission of any incident that reaches non-compliance status. In the event of family withdrawal, the School Commission has final authority to accept or reject the administrations passport.The Parental Non-Compliance Policy is an original policy from the prior administration along with a recent 2015 revision by the new administration. Included in the revised strain are the three step process and the paragraph giving final authority to the School Commission. Adding both parts to the policy ensures and protects the family and the administration from emotional decision making.There is no federal or state legislation on parental non-compliance at school, hardly many private schools do have some policy written to safeguard all parties. All members of a school community, including families, educators, students, visitors, and the administration, have the intention to work in league to provide the children the best experiences in their education and care. From the onset, families and mental faculty agree at the time of acceptance or employment to acquaint themselves with and meet the call of the schools philosophy and Code of Ethics. There are times when behaviors or actions go against the philosophy or code. Therefore, it is essential to have a policy and process for dealing with such occurrences. If the administration selects families into the school community that are mission appropriate and who can abide by the schools philosophy, then this policy, in theory, would not be necessary. Unfortunately, circumstance can arise, and each party needs to be protected and valued during trying times.In the next revision, an initial step of a verbal warning may be beneficial in providing due process to the policy and may mitigate any further escalation. Currently, the first step is to write up a warning of the incident, and this does not comply with the schools compassionate Community philosophy. Within the Caring School philosophy, one of the schools goals is to empower and listen to others to further understand their perspective. A conversation to express the school displeasure with a parents behavior or action allows the parent to provide their point of view. Through respectful and honest conversation, the school and parents may agree on a solution without further incident or create hard feelings.Evaluations/Personnel file cabinet Policy Staff, Personnel, and School Commission SectionObjectives To ensure consistency of procedure and standards in all carrying out sagaciousnesss of the staff of MSPCS.Scope This policy applies to commission military ranks of the Headmaster, the Headmasters evaluation of administrative staff, and the Directors assessments of the direction staff.DefinitionsEvaluation A procedure for measuring a staff members surgical operation in helping to achieve the goals and policies of MSPCS, the curriculum objectives of the school, and the ceremonial of the guidelines and handbooks.Personnel File A file maintained by the He admaster in the administrative office of MSPCS for all faculty and staff members of the school.General Statement some(prenominal) fundamental principles underlie the MSPCS approach to supervision and evaluation. These principles are grounded in current research that identifies effective instructional practices that maximize student schooling and achievement. The MSPCS illustration for supervision and evaluation recognizes the importance of linking teacher evaluation to professional developing and student education. It also acknowledges the value of a differentiated structure that supports teachers at varying stages of their career and experience and call downs greater teacher involvement in the evaluation process.At MSPCS we recognize the importance of the supervision, evaluation, and maestro Growth process. The MSPCS Supervision, Evaluation, PGP program incorporates supervisory options connected to personal growth in a collaborative environment.MSPCS is a professional comm unity, which encourages feedback and reflection as a means of promoting constant teacher growth and correctd student achievement. Meaningful feedback comes from multiple and various sources and provides an opportunity for reflection which sharpens our teachers skills of self-assessment.Supervision, Evaluation, and Professional Growth is an interactive process perceived as valuable by all involved.The MSPCS program involves assessment structures that promote an array of reflective, creative and analytic skills.In the MSPCS program, outstanding tenet is studied, sought, recognized and supported.By promoting structures that encourage professional development, a reflective school civilization and research-based practices MSPCS ensures that it will remain foc apply on its mission, vision, and continued goal to break student achievement.The objective of teacher supervision, evaluation, and professional learning is to increase student achievement by encouraging and supporting the prof essional growth of all teachers.Administrators AssuranceThe MSPCS Supervision, Evaluation, and Professional Growth Plan willProvide clear, concise, comprehensive teaching standards based on current research of best teaching practice.Provide a fair, clear system for teacher evaluation used on current research.Provide useful, timely feedback related to MSPCS teaching standards to guide professional development goals.Foster a culture of trust, mutual respect, and positive professional dialogue, which encourages risk taking in a learning community. flesh out the craft of teaching through reflection and risk-taking.Utilize data from student assessment to guide teaching practice as related to MSPCS teaching standards.Encourage teachers to chart their course for professional development.Value the diversity of teachers perspective, skills, knowledge, and practice.All MSPCS educators will haveSupport and encouragement from the Preschool Director, Headmaster and other staff members.Reviewed procedures and be informed on the supervision and evaluation format and forms.Professional development goals that incorporate one or more of the MSPCS Teaching Standards. many opportunities to be observed through walkthroughs.An annual formal written observation grounded on teacher reflection and growth.Opportunities to discuss their growth with the Preschool Director or Headmaster.Guidelines All employees will be formally evaluated at least once a year. Each director will be responsible for assessing the teachers and staff members immediately under his/her supervision. The Headmaster will be responsible for the evaluations of the directors, the be staff, and other support staff, and the commission will be responsible for the assessment of the Headmaster.The evaluations will be based principally on formal observations of the staff member and interviews with the staff member. Observations and opinions of third parties (parents, other staff members, individual commission members, etc .) may only be taken into account if the staff member being evaluated is given an opportunity to respond to the third partys questions/concerns raised onwards the finalization of the evaluation.The evaluation will be considered finalized when the staff member being evaluated and the one responsible for the evaluation both acknowledge by theme song that the assessment has been discussed in detail. When the evaluation is finalized, the Headmaster will place it in that staff members military force file. Other appropriate inclusions in the archive of staff would include letters of commendation or reprimand, as well as any responses, comments, or relevant data the staff member may wish to add.Under no conditions will a staff members personnel file be made public to other staff members, parents, or anyone outside MSPCS line of authority.The file of staff may be used by an authorized representative of MSPCS to draft a letter of recommendation to a prospective employer. The file is only to be used for purposes of refreshing the memory and is not to be reproduced for the prospective employer.The Evaluations/Personnel File Policy, all rewritten in 2016, from the original policy that was not a policy but more of an outline of procedures. In the original policy, there was no discover of school beliefs or the purposes of the assessment. Also, the wording in the original policy was punitive and full of if-than statements as opposed to helping an educator grow and develop their skills.Often formal evaluations cause stress to an educator, because of the plan or learning of another persons point of view placed on the individual. At MSPCS, the elimination of judgment and the focus on individual improvement and self-reflection help create a positive experience for all parties during evaluations. Marzanos model of instructional evaluation focuses on specific strategies and how well they are working. Taken one step further, MSPCS adds a component where the teacher generates the level of specificity during a self-reflection period and a pre-observation meeting with the administrator. During the pre-observation meeting, the teacher shares the learning targets for the students and how they plan to prepare the students for the lesson. The teacher provides a brief overview of the sequencing and strategies of the content of the lesson, how the students will practice or demonstrate the new content, and how students will summarize the lesson. During the meeting, the teacher selects an area they would like to improve upon and asks the administrator to assess him/her on a specific task or technique. Additionally, the teacher prescribes two or three questions that he/she would like the administrator to ask the students.During the observation, the administrator documents what is heard or seen, without opinion or judgment. He/She then moves approximately the room asking the prescribed questions the teacher presented to him/her during the pre-observation meeting a nd documents the answers the students gave to him/her.A post-observation meeting is held within a day or two to vex the momentum and to provide effective feedback. The meeting always begins with the question, On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best, what would you rate your lesson? Not one person in seven years of asking the question has rated themselves a ten, which means the conversation begins with the understanding that everyone has room to improve. Much of the conversation revolves around the administrator continually asking what do you think and why do you think type questions, because the process is a self-reflection, not a judgment of being good or poor. After analyzing the data, we set goals to work on for the next observation, which may not be a formal one. The psyche of the evaluation as a growth process instead of a judgment allows teachers to step back and truly look inward at their practice in a non-threatening way. There are no plans to change this policy as it has proven to be very effective.Discipline Policy Student SectionObjectives To ensure consistent biblical direct at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School.Scope This policy applies to all elementary students at Miami Shores Presbyterian Church School.Definitions Discipline The practice of instructing and training people to understand and adhere to rules or a code of behavior.Guidelines Each class develops their student appropriate force field guidelines. Under no circumstances is corporal punishment allowed. Staff members may not withhold the bathroom, withhold food or belittle the student.MSPCS believes that everyone has the right to experience a safe and friendly school environment. Therefore, we have expectations that students willKeep hands, feet and all objects to themselves.Show respect for adults and other students.Cooperate and return self-control at all times.Follow directions the first time without questioning.Be prepared for class each day.Be punctual and attend cla ss each day.The school will not tolerate any of the following behaviors and may be cause for expulsionVerbal and carnal fighting.Defacing or damaging school property.Theft of school or personal property.The use of profanity or name-calling.Procedures When a student violates classroom/school rules for the first time, teachers will discuss the infraction with the student and document the incident.In the event a student commits a second infraction, the teacher will butt against the parent to discuss the issue and document the parent/teacher group discussion as a Step Two Referral. A parent must be contacted for a StepTwo Referral to be completed.If a third infraction occurs, the StepThree Referral must be documented on the referral form. If the student is disrupting the class to the point where learning cannot take place in the classroom, they may be sent to pronounce with the Preschool Director or Headmaster.If infractions continue to occur and are impeding upon the learning proces s for the student and others, the student may be sent home. A follow-up meeting will happen with the Preschool Director or Headmaster when the student returns to school. This session will be reflective in reputation and to set guidelines and goals for the student to meet.All missed class work due to an infraction of a rule must be completed at home and returned to the teacher when the student arrives back to school.Transgressions, including but not extra to fighting, weapons, severe disrespect, bullying, etc. will result in disciplinary action which may include dismissal from school, even for a first offense.Also, if the MSPCS staff identify, through the course of observation and discussion with parents, that a students particular behavioural issues are beyond the capacity of the program to serve them, the school militia the right to terminate enrollment at any time.The Discipline Policy is an original policy from the prior administration, there is no reference number, and the cr eation date and author are unknown. All schools have a redress policy because it is a critical element in maintaining a safe environment for students and staff. In many schools, a discipline policy states all of the things a student cannot do and what will happen if they do it.At MSPCS, the student discipline policy is more of a threat of course on paper, because the current administration does not believe in move students home as a punishment. Skiba, Shure, Middelberg, Baker (2011) offer there is no evidence proving that discipline practices that eliminate students from classes by the punitive acts of suspensions and expulsions help to improve either student behavior or school climate. Instead of displace a student home, where they will often be unsupervised, developing an effective intervention at school is more in line with the schools Caring Community philosophy.Another part of this policy that is inaccurate is in the first line that states consistent biblical discipline. T he Bibles view on discipline clearly demands that parents be responsible and diligent in spanking, but strongly prohibits physical abuse of any kind (Ingram, 2006). Further, in the MSPCS student discipline policy, it states under no circumstances is corporal punishment allowed. At MSPCS, the administration is not reinforcing the written policy properly, and the language in the policy is sending miscellaneous messages to our families. An easy fix to the discrepancy is to eliminate the word biblical from the policy. However, a complete rewrite of the policy is necessary to match the schools philosophy of a Caring Community and preserving dignity for all.The Caring Community requires a positive-based discipline program where students are self-reflective and empowered while maintaining their dignity. The goal is for students to take responsibility for their actions and learn from each of their experiences. At MSPCS, the school teaches students to look inward to work towards developing intrinsic motivation, while at the same time simplification teacher-centric external motivation. The objective is to influence change in a students hateful behavior through conversation, demonstration, and sending a consistent message. At MSPCS teachers perplex training in the art of being an authoritative classroom leader. agree (2010) states, An authoritative teacher set high standards and hold high expectations follow through rules and standards in a firm, fair, and consistent manner and promote autonomy by encouraging students active participatio