The following standards shall apply to the administration of accredited schools and school districts.
(1)Board records. Each board shall adopt by written policy a system for maintaining accurate records. The system shall provide for recording and maintaining the minutes of all board meetings, coding all receipts and expenditures, and recording and filing all reports required by the Iowa Code or requested by the director of the department of education. Financial records of school districts shall be maintained in a manner as to be easily audited according to accepted accounting procedures.(2)Policy manual. The board shall develop and maintain a policy manual which provides a codification of its policies, including the adoption date, the review date, and any revision date for each policy. Policies shall be reviewed at least every five years to ensure relevance to current practices and compliance with the Iowa Code, administrative rules and decisions, and court decisions.(3)Personnel evaluation. Each board shall adopt evaluation criteria and procedures for all contracted staff. The evaluation processes shall conform to Iowa Code sections 279.14 and 279.23A.(4)Student records. Each board shall require its administrative staff to establish and maintain a system of student records. This system shall include for each student a permanent office record and a cumulative record. The permanent office record shall serve as a historical record of official information concerning the student's education. The permanent office record shall be recorded and maintained under the student's legal name. At a minimum, the permanent office record should contain evidence of attendance and educational progress, serve as an official transcript, contain other data for use in planning to meet student needs, and provide data for official school and school district reports. This record is to be permanently maintained and stored in a fire-resistant safe or vault or can be maintained and stored electronically with a secure backup file.
The cumulative record shall provide a continuous and current record of significant information on progress and growth. It should reflect information such as courses taken, scholastic progress, school attendance, physical and health record, experiences, interests, aptitudes, attitudes, abilities, honors, extracurricular activities, part-time employment, and future plans. It is the "working record" used by the instructional professional staff in understanding the student. At the request of a receiving school or school district, a copy of the cumulative record shall be sent to officials of that school when a student transfers.
For the sole purpose of implementing an interagency agreement with state and local agencies in accordance with Iowa Code section 280.25, a student's permanent record may include information contained in the cumulative record as defined above.
The board shall adopt a policy concerning the accessibility and confidentiality of student records that complies with the provisions of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and Iowa Code chapter 22.
(5)Requirements for graduation. Each board providing a program through grade 12 shall adopt a policy establishing the requirements students must meet for high school graduation. This policy shall make provision for early graduation and shall be consistent with these requirements, Iowa Code section 280.14, and the requirements in the introductory paragraph of subrule 12.5(5).(6)Student responsibility and discipline. The board shall adopt student responsibility and discipline policies as required by Iowa Code section 279.8. The board shall involve parents, students, instructional and noninstructional professional staff, and community members in the development and revision of those policies where practicable or unless specific policy is mandated by legislation. The policies shall relate to the educational purposes of the school or school district. The policies shall include, but are not limited to, the following: attendance; use of tobacco; the use or possession of alcoholic beverages or any controlled substance; harassment of or by students and staff as detailed in subrule 12.3(13); violent, destructive, and seriously disruptive behavior; suspension, expulsion, emergency removal, weapons, and physical restraint; out-of-school behavior; participation in extracurricular activities; academic progress; and citizenship. The policies shall ensure due process rights for students and parents, including consideration for students who have been identified as requiring special education programs and services.
The board shall also consider the potential, disparate impact of the policies on students because of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation as defined in Iowa Code section 216.2 as amended by 2007 Iowa Acts, Senate File 427, section 1, gender identity as defined in Iowa Code section 216.2 as amended by 2007 Iowa Acts, Senate File 427, section 1, disability, religion, creed, or socioeconomic status.
The board shall publicize its support of these policies, its support of the staff in enforcing them, and the staff's accountability for implementing them.
(7)Health services. Rescinded IAB 12/5/07, effective 1/9/08.(8)Audit of school funds. This subrule applies to school districts. The results of the annual audit of all school district funds conducted by the state auditor or a private auditing firm shall be made part of the official records of the board as described in Iowa Code section 11.6.(9)School or school district building grade-level organization. The board shall adopt a grade-level organization for the buildings under its jurisdiction as described in Iowa Code section 279.39.(10)Report on accredited nonpublic school students. Rescinded IAB 12/5/07, effective 1/9/08.(11)Standards for school counseling programs. The board of directors of each school district shall establish a K-12 comprehensive school counseling program, driven by student data and based on standards in academic, career, personal, and social areas, which supports the student achievement goals of the total school curriculum and to which all students have equitable access. a. A qualified school counselor, licensed by the board of educational examiners, who works collaboratively with students, teachers, support staff and administrators shall direct the program and provide services and instruction in support of the curricular goals of each attendance center. The school counselor shall be the member of the attendance center instructional team with special expertise in identifying resources and technologies to support teaching and learning. The school counselor and classroom teachers shall collaborate to develop, teach, and evaluate attendance center curricular goals with emphasis on the following: (1) Sequentially presented curriculum, programs, and responsive services that address growth and development of all students; and(2) Attainment of student competencies in academic, career, personal, and social areas.b. The program shall be regularly reviewed and revised and shall be designed to provide all of the following: (1) Curriculum that is embedded throughout the district's overall curriculum and systemically delivered by the school counselor in collaboration with instructional staff through classroom and group activities and that consists of structured lessons to help students achieve desired competencies and to provide all students with the knowledge and skills appropriate for their developmental levels;(2) Individual student planning through ongoing systemic activities designed to help students establish educational and career goals to develop future plans;(3) Responsive services through intervention and curriculum that meet students' immediate and future needs as occasioned by events and conditions in students' lives and that may require any of the following: individual or group counseling; consultation with parents, teachers, and other educators; referrals to other school support services or community resources; peer helping; and information; and(4) Systemic support through management activities that establish, maintain, and enhance the total school counseling program, including professional development, consultation, collaboration, program management, and operations.(12)Standards for library programs. The board of directors of each school district shall establish a K-12 library program to support the student achievement goals of the total school curriculum. a. A qualified teacher librarian, licensed by the board of educational examiners, who works with students, teachers, support staff and administrators shall direct the library program and provide services and instruction in support of the curricular goals of each attendance center. The teacher librarian shall be a member of the attendance center instructional team with special expertise in identifying resources and technologies to support teaching and learning. The teacher librarian and classroom teachers shall collaborate to develop, teach, and evaluate attendance center curricular goals with emphasis on promoting inquiry and critical thinking; providing information literacy learning experiences to help students access, evaluate, use, create, and communicate information; enhancing learning and teaching through technology; and promoting literacy through reader guidance and activities that develop capable and independent readers. b. The library program shall be regularly reviewed and revised and shall be designed to meet the following goals:(1) To provide for methods to improve library collections to meet student and staff needs;(2) To make connections with parents and the community;(3) To support the district's school improvement plan;(4) To provide access to or support for professional development for the teacher librarian;(5) To provide current technology and electronic resources to ensure that students become skillful and discriminating users of information;(6) To include a current and diverse collection of fiction and nonfiction materials in a variety of formats to support student and curricular needs; and(7) To include a plan for annually updating and replacing library materials, supports, and equipment.c. The board of directors of each school district shall adopt policies to address selection and reconsideration of school library materials; confidentiality of student library records; and legal and ethical use of information resources, including plagiarism and intellectual property rights.(13)Policy declaring harassment and bullying against state and school policy. The policy adopted by the board regarding harassment of or by students and staff shall declare harassment and bullying in schools, on school property, and at any school function or school-sponsored activity regardless of its location to be against state and school policy. The board shall make a copy of the policy available to all school employees, volunteers, students, and parents or guardians and shall take all appropriate steps to bring the policy against harassment and bullying and the responsibilities set forth in the policy to the attention of school employees, volunteers, students, and parents or guardians. Each policy shall, at a minimum, include all of the following components:a. A statement declaring harassment and bullying to be against state and school policy. The statement shall include but not be limited to the following provisions: (1) School employees, volunteers, and students in school, on school property, or at any school function or school-sponsored activity shall not engage in harassing and bullying behavior.(2) School employees, volunteers, and students shall not engage in reprisal, retaliation, or false accusation against a victim, a witness, or an individual who has reliable information about such an act of harassment or bullying.b. A definition of harassment and bullying consistent with the following: Harassment and bullying shall be construed to mean any electronic, written, verbal, or physical act or conduct toward a student which is based on the student's actual or perceived age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status, and which creates an objectively hostile school environment that meets one or more of the following conditions: (1) Places the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student's person or property.(2) Has a substantially detrimental effect on the student's physical or mental health.(3) Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student's academic performance.(4) Has the effect of substantially interfering with the student's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school. The local board policy must set forth all 17 of the above-enumerated traits or characteristics, but does not need to be limited to the 17 enumerated traits or characteristics.
c. A description of the type of behavior expected from school employees, volunteers, parents or guardians, and students relative to prevention, reporting, and investigation of harassment or bullying.d. The consequences and appropriate remedial action for a person who violates the antiharassment and antibullying policy.e. A procedure for reporting an act of harassment or bullying, including the identification by job title of the school official responsible for ensuring that the policy is implemented, and the identification of the person or persons responsible for receiving reports of harassment or bullying. f. A procedure for the prompt investigation of complaints, identifying either the school superintendent or the superintendent's designee as the individual responsible for conducting the investigation, including a statement that investigators will consider the totality of circumstances presented in determining whether conduct objectively constitutes harassment or bullying under this subrule.g. A statement of the manner in which the policy will be publicized. The board shall integrate its policy into its comprehensive school improvement plan. The board shall develop and maintain a system to collect harassment and bullying incidence data, and report such data, on forms specified by the department, to the local community and to the department.
(14)Policy prohibiting the aiding and abetting of sexual abuse.a.General. The department and each public school district and area education agency shall adopt policies that prohibit any individual who is a school employee, contractor, or agent, or any state educational agency or local educational agency, from assisting a school employee, contractor, or agent in obtaining a new job, apart from the routine transmission of administrative and personnel files, if the individual or agency knows, or has probable cause to believe, that such school employee, contractor, or agent engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student in violation of the law.b.Exception. The requirements of paragraph 12.3(14)"a" shall not apply if all of the following conditions are met. (1) The information giving rise to probable cause has been properly reported to a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the alleged misconduct; and has been properly reported to any other authorities as required by federal, state, or local law, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ( 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) and the regulations implementing such title under Part 106 of Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, or any succeeding regulations.(2) The matter has been officially closed or the prosecutor or police with jurisdiction over the alleged misconduct have investigated the allegations and notified school officials that there is insufficient information to establish probable cause that the school employee, contractor, or agent engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student in violation of the law; or the school employee, contractor, or agent has been charged with, and acquitted or otherwise exonerated of, the alleged misconduct; or the case or investigation remains open and there have been no charges filed against, or indictment of, the school employee, contractor, or agent within four years of the date on which the information was reported to a law enforcement agency.Iowa Admin. Code r. 281-12.3
ARC 0016C, lAB 2/22/12, effective 3/28/12 (See Delay note at end of chapter)Amended by IAB August 29, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 5, effective 10/3/2018