Policy & Legal Corner

Leading through sound policy ensures transparent and legal operations of a school district and enables the board to stay focused on district goals.

Board/superintendent teams face a myriad of policy issues, and IASB has created several toolkits to help members do this important work. Your IASB staff consultants are a phone call or email away to assist you with using these tools. We also offer custom facilitated workshops that can help one board or a group of boards consider their work.

Toolkits/resources require member login. 
 

Toolkits (REQUIRE MEMBER LOGIN)

Cybersecurity
Open Meetings & Public Records
Vacancies & Special Elections
Legal Authority & School Calendars
Restructuring

 

Policy Services

To subscribe to the IASB Policy Reference Manual or Policy Primer, or for assistance with all subscription services, email Marte Brightman or call (515) 247-7048.
 

Policy Reference Manual

This resource makes it easy to ensure your district is practicing good governance through policy, as well as a time-saver for staff. This is an incredible value and a must-have service for our member districts.

The IASB Policy Reference Manual provides subscribing districts with comprehensive online access close to 450 sample policies, administrative regulations and exhibits needed to comply with state and federal laws—and most importantly, effectively operate a school district. IASB staff experts develop sample policies and ensure they are well-vetted with input from state agencies and members in the field. In addition, this subscription includes quarterly and special release updates through our Policy Primer newsletter. This newsletter issues new policies and/or updates to existing sample policies including explanations for all updates and additions.

Member Fee: $775 per year.

Online Access: Access the online Policy Reference Manual using your username and password from any device.
 

IASB Sample Policy Updates Listing

View a complete listing of IASB sample policy updates including exhibits and regulations. This is a downloadable Excel file. This document, as downloaded, list policies in numerical order, but can be sorted by date to view the most recent updates.
 

Policies to be Reviewed Annually

View a listing of policies that are required to be reviewed by the board and/or administration on an annual basis.
 

Policy Manual Review

A policy manual review includes a side-by-side comparison of a district’s policy documents against the IASB Policy Reference Manual sample policy documents and the mandatory policy list. A completed review includes a comprehensive, line-by-line listing of suggested revisions to bring a district’s policy manual into legal compliance.

Cost: $2,500.
 

Custom Policy Manual Review

A custom policy manual review involves consultations with the board/superintendent team and a complete overhaul of the district’s policy manual. IASB policy staff review and analyze the district’s policies for content and consistency through a thorough process that encourages and supports the board in achieving its board goals.

Cost: $7,500.
 

Mandatory Policies

There are certain policies mandated by state and/or federal law that school districts must adopt and keep current. Go here to use this list to ensure your board has the required policies. Subscribers should refer to the IASB Policy Reference Manual for the most recent versions. Note that your district may number policies differently than the IASB Policy Reference Manual, so districts should also verify the title.