B175 Functions

Legislative

Bylaws and Policies

The Board shall adopt bylaws and policies for the organization and operation of this Board and the Corporation.

The bylaws and policies may be adopted, amended, and repealed at any meeting of the Board, provided the proposed adoption, amendment, or repeal shall have been proposed at a previous Board meeting and, once proposed, shall have remained on the agenda of each succeeding Board meeting until approved or rejected; except that the Board may, upon a vote and where compelling reasons exist, cause to suspend at any time the operation of a bylaw or policy herein contained, provided the suspension does not conflict with law, and such suspension shall terminate at the next meeting of the Board or at such earlier time as is specified in the motion to suspend.

These bylaws and policies may be adopted or amended by resolution at a single meeting of the Board in an emergency. An emergency shall be defined for purposes of this rule as any situation or set of circumstances which the Board has reason to believe will close the schools or jeopardize the safety or welfare of the students or employees of the Corporation.

Any resolution adopted under emergency conditions shall expire automatically at the first public meeting of the Board following the abatement of the emergency unless the Board moves to adopt said resolution as a bylaw or a policy.

Bylaws shall be adopted, amended, repealed, or suspended by at least four (4) votes of the full Board. Policies shall be adopted, amended, or repealed by a majority vote of the full Board.

The adoption, modification, repeal, or suspension of a Board bylaw or policy shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board. All bylaws and policies shall be published in the Board policy manual.

Any policy or part of a policy that is superseded by a term in a negotiated agreement shall no longer be in force and effect as a policy.

Further, any policy or part of a policy that is inconsistent with the law or with a decision rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction shall no longer be in force and effect as a policy.

The Board may adopt, amend, or repeal administrative rules of order for its own operation by simple resolution of the Board passed by a majority of those present and voting.

• I.C. 20-26-5-4

Technical Corrections

Periodically it may be deemed necessary to make technical corrections to policies that already have been adopted through normal procedures. These technical corrections may include transfer of sections, renumbering subsections, sections, chapters and titles, corrections or additions for grammatical or typographical errors, changes in citations of the law such as renumbering, changes in names for compliance personnel, or changes in titles of personnel when Board action is taken in making new positions or reducing staff not affecting the construction or meaning of those sections, subsections, chapters, titles, or policies as a whole.

Should the Board choose to make such technical corrections, it may be accomplished by resolution as part of the consent agenda without going through the normal policy adoption procedure.

• Adopted/Revised: February 8, 2016

Executive

Selection of Superintendent

The School Board shall exercise its executive power in part by the appointment of a Superintendent who shall enforce the statutes of the State of Indiana, administrative guidelines of the State School Board, and the policies of this Board.

Before entering into a contract of employment with a Superintendent, the Board shall comply with the requirements of I.C. 20-26-5-4.3 regarding notice and hearing. After entering into a contract of employment with the Superintendent, the Board shall comply with the requirements of I.C. 20-26-5-4.3 regarding posting the Superintendent's contract. 

Administrative Authority

The Superintendent shall consult with the Board with regard to the development and/or revision of policies.

The Superintendent shall prepare guidelines for the administration of the Corporation that are consistent with statutes, regulations of the State Board, and/or the policies of this Board. 

The Superintendent shall be delegated the authority to take necessary action in circumstances not provided for in Board policy, provided that such action shall be reported to the Board at the next meeting following such action.

• I.C. 20-26-5-4

Judicial

The Board may assume jurisdiction over any dispute or controversy arising within this Corporation and concerning any matter in which authority has been vested in the Board by statute, rule, a contract, or policy of this Board.

In furtherance of its adjudicatory function, the Board may hold hearings which shall offer the parties to a dispute, on notice duly given, a fair and impartial forum for the resolution of the matter.

Beyond the basic requirements of due process, a hearing may vary in form and content in line with the severity of the consequences which may flow from it, the degree of difficulty of establishing findings of fact from conflicting evidence, the impact of the Board's decision on the Corporation, and any statutory or regulatory requirements.

In order to provide a fair hearing for the parties to a matter to be adjudicated by the Board, Board members shall be impartial in such matters and capable of making a decision based solely upon the evidence presented by the parties. Therefore, Board members shall not conduct or participate in any investigation of the facts in such matters; collect, evaluate, or review the facts of the matter prior to presentation of the facts to the Board; or form or express an opinion not subject to change on any aspect of the pending matter.

• Adopted: October 15, 2019