Agenda Item
Meeting Date:
12/18/2020 - 7:00 PM  
Category:
Policies and Regulations  
Type:
Info  
Subject:
Civility Discussion – Board Retreat  
ACPS 2025 Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 1: Systemic Alignment
ACPS will build a culture of continuous improvement and design equitable systems for school and instructional improvement.
 
Policy:
 
Funding Source or Fiscal Impact (where applicable):
 
File Attachment:
201218_Civility_Discussion_Board_Retreat_201214_v2.pdf
201218_Att1_District_Civility_Policies_ACPS.pdf
201218_Att2_Article_When_Civility_Is_Used_As_a_Cudgel_Against_People_Of_Color.pdf
201218_Att3_Article_In_These_Divided_Times_Is_Civility_Under_Siege.pdf
201218_Att4_Article_What_does_it_mean_to_be_civil.pdf
201218_Att5_Article_Became_a_Buzzword—and_Lost_All_Meaning.pdf
201218_Att6_Article_The_Word_Civil_Has_Become_Meaningless.pdf
 
Agenda Item Summary:
Hanover Research conducted a search to identify resources on civility. Based on their research, it seems as though the negative connotation of the term, civility, has come to fruition once again given the recent social protests and political divide across the country. NPR has an entire series dedicated to exploring civility.

In addition to these sources of information, attached is the report Hanover Research developed outlining examples of district civility policies. In the report, you’ll notice they begin by presenting discussion questions we can use to guide our future discussions amongst the School Board and with other stakeholders. They also provided example policies and resources from large and peer districts across the country--the 10 largest school districts as well as peer districts at the national, regional, and state levels. Through their research it was discovered that district civility policies vary in terms of format, structure, content, and degree of specificity. However, their preliminary research in this report indicates that the most comprehensive district civility policies commonly:

-Define civility;
-Discuss why civility matters;
-Note that civility represents a realistic, attainable goal (e.g., stakeholders can acknowledge differences respectfully, disagree courteously, solve problems constructively);
-Specify acceptable and unacceptable forms of language and behavior;
-Set expectations (in general and for different stakeholder groups);
-Outline mechanisms for reporting violations; and
-Indicate how the district will respond to confirmed violations
 
Background:
The School Board held a School Board Retreat on December 14, 2020, where the School Board Facilitator, Laurie Cromwell, facilitated a discussion on the following topics: Potential Civility Policy, Dual Pandemic Effect on School Board Meetings, Strategic Plan and other Division Work by the School Board, What is the Role of the Chair and Vice Chair, and Implementing the Annual School Board Assessment.  
Recommendation
The Superintendent recommends that the School Board review the documents provided.  
Approvals:
Recommended By:
Signed By:
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. - Superintendent