Includes information on how the policy manual is organized, document specifications, and an overview of policies and rules.
BOARD POLICY MANUAL OF THE COBB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
This online manual contains the policies of the Cobb County Board of Education; the administrative rules intended to implement policy; and certain references or documents that relate to policies and/or rules.
Policy development is a dynamic, ongoing process. New problems, issues, and needs give rise to the continuing need to develop new policies or to revise existing ones. The online format of this manual provides for a quick and easy way to keep policies and rules up-to-date.
How to Use This Manual
The Cobb County School District operates according to the policies established by the Cobb County Board of Education. The Board develops policies after careful deliberation, and the district administration implements these policies through specific rules and procedures. The Board then evaluates the effectiveness of its policies and makes revisions as necessary.
How the Manual is Organized
The manual is organized according to a classification system that provides an efficient means for coding, filing, and finding Board policies, administrative rules, and other documents.
There are 13 major classifications, each bearing an alphabetical code:
A - School District Organization (Foundations and Basic Commitments)
B - School Board Operations (School Board Governance and Operations)
C - General School Administration
D - Fiscal Management
E - Business Management (Support Services)
F - Facility Expansion Program (Facilities Development)
G - Personnel
H - Negotiations (Not Used)
I - Instructional Program
J - Students
K - General Public Relations
L - Interorganizational Relations (except education agencies)
M - Relations with Other Education Agencies
Sub classifications under each major heading are based on a logical sequence and alphabetical sub coding.
There are two ways to find a policy or rule in the manual: The first is to consider where the policy or rule might reasonably be filed among the 13 major classifications, and review the online table of contents. The second way to locate a policy or rule is to utilize the online word "search" feature.
Document Specifications
Dates. Where possible the original date of adoption/approval/issuance appears immediately following each policy/rule. In other instances, an approximate date or revision date is used.
Legal references. These references are not intended to be part of the policy itself, nor do they indicate the basis or authority for the board to enact this policy. Instead, they are provided as additional resources for those interested in the subject matter of the policy.
Cross reference. Certain policies/rules relate to others. Cross references are provided following many statements to help the reader find all of the related information.
Order of precedence. Board of Education policies and rules must be read and interpreted in light of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) and State Board of Education policies.
About School Board Policies
Generally, the role of a Board of Education is to set the policy and the role of administration is to execute it.
Policies are principles adopted by the Board to chart a course of action. They tell what is wanted and many also include why and how much. They are broad enough to indicate a line of action to be taken by the administration in meeting a number of day-to-day problems; they need to be narrow enough to give the administration clear guidance. In addition to those policies required by state statute and/or State Board of Education policy, the Board has adopted other policies to provide guidance regarding the expectations of the Board.
Rules are the detailed directions developed by the administration to put policy into place. They tell how, by whom, where and when things are to be done.
