School Board Resources

Explore WILL’s 2024 Model School Board Policies Now Available.

Developed by a team of policy and legal experts at WILL, they serve as a resource for new school board members and candidates making change at the local level:
  • Increasing parents’ rights & involvement
  • Greater transparency
  • Optimizing student academic achievement and improving school governance.

Model School Board Policies

Model Policy #1 –  Review and Update of District Policies 

Model Policy #2 – Board-Superintendent Communications

Model Policy #3 – AUDIT AND TRANSPARENCY IN CONTRACTS

Model Policy #4 – PARENT, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Model Policy #5 –  DISTRICT PERSONNEL EVALUATION AND TRAINING

Model Policy #6 – ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL GOALS

Model Policy #7 – POLITICAL OR CONTROVERSIAL DISPLAYS IN THE CLASSROOM

Model Policy #8 – PRAYER IN SCHOOLS

Model Policy #9 –  RACIAL NON-DISCRIMINATION

Model Policy #10 – STUDENT DISCIPLINE

Model Policy #11 – STUDENT DISCIPLINE (WISCONSIN)

Model Policy #12 – RECESS

Model Policy #13 – DRESS CODE

Model Policy #14 – CELL PHONES IN THE CLASSROOM 

Model Policy #15 – FINANCIAL LITERACY INSTRUCTION

Model Policy #16 – EVALUATION AND UPDATE OF DISTRICT CURRICULUM PURCHASED FROM THIRD PARTIES

Model Policy #17 – CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

Model Policy #18 – ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS

Model Policy #19 – ATTENDANCE AND NOTICE OF TRUANCY (WISCONSIN)

Model Policy #20 – RIGHT TO REVIEW INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS

Model Policy #21 – RIGHT TO REVIEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING MATERIALS

Model Policy #22 – LIBRARY MATERIAL TRANSPARENCY

Model Policy #23 – LIBRARY MATERIALS AND PARENTAL RIGHTS

Model Policy #24 – PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OF ACTS OR THREATS OF VIOLENCE

Model Policy #25 – PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OF SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES

Model Policy #26 – PLANNING PARENTAL NOTIFICATION FOR SCHOOL TRIPS

Model Policy #27 – SURVEY NOTICE AND OPT-OUT

Model Policy #28 – CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES 

Model Policy #29 – SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING INSTRUCTION AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION 

Model Policy #30 – HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTION AND PARENTAL NOTICE AND OPT OUT (WISCONSIN)

Model Policy #31 – HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (WISCONSIN)

Model Policy #32 – STUDENT GENDER IDENTITY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION AND CONSENT

Model Policy #33 – EMPLOYEE USE OF STUDENT PRONOUNS

Model Policy #34 – EMPLOYEE EXPRESSION IN NON-SCHOOL SETTINGS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RULEs ON TITLE IX

November 12, 2024 – A comprehensive look at title ix

WILL and its partners released a crucial resource guide. Titled “Protecting Title IX: A Resource Guide for School Boards,” this guide aims to empower school boards with the legal insights needed to understand and respond to the complex Title IX requirements of the federal government.

October 22, 2024 – What Private, Religious Schools Should Know about the New Title IX Rule

Private school boards should be cautious and informed, and they should be aware that there are litigation risks on both sides of this issue. This resource aims to clarify recent questions about the impact of this rule on private schools.

July 11, 2024 – What School Boards Need to Know about the Status of the New Title IX Rule

The changes to Title IX by the U.S. Department of Education under the Biden Administration expand the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity.

This resource aims to empower school board members to make their own decision despite pressure to immediately implement the new Title IX rule.

APRIL 13, 2023 – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROPOSED RULES

The U.S. Department of Education posted their proposed Title IX and athletics rule.
 
Learn more about this rule in our FAQ.
 
Submission to comment publicly on the proposed rule has closed. Read WILL’s public comment, from May 15, 2023, here

WILL’s Comment to the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROPOSED RULES

WILL submitted a public comment on the U.S. Department of Education proposed changes to the regulations on Title IX.

Title IX and Gender Identity FAQ Memo

This memo is intended as a resource for public use by school board members and public school administrators navigating issues related to gender identity and Title IX. It is based on the law in Wisconsin and the Seventh Circuit and is current as of January 25, 2023.

ADDITIONAL SCHOOL BOARD RESOURCES

Below are some additional publicly available school board resources from WILL and other organizations. Please contact us with suggestions for new sources, or if any of these links no longer work.

Clear Guidance Memo and Checklist on the Biden Student Discipline Guidance

We’ve released a new memo in partnership with the State Policy Network that analyzes the US Department of Education and Department of Justice guidance document titled “Resource on Confronting Racial Discrimination in Student Discipline.”

Read The Report

WILL has also created a new resource titled, “Identifying Non-Discriminatory Factors in Discipline Outcomes,” to aid schools in examining root causes of racial disparities.

Read the Report

Schools and the Law: First Amendment US Supreme Court Decisions That School Board Members Should Know

Public school board members should be familiar with landmark Supreme Court decisions that could shape how they resolve conflicts and set school district policies. WILL Education Attorney teams up with the American Enterprise Institute to provide new resources and information for school boards.

Read The Report

Firearms in Schools: Answering and Discussing Frequently Asked Questions

Firearms have strict regulations that vary depending on the location. It is important to understand how to exercise your Second Amendment rights, without violating the various laws that protect our schools. WILL provides this resource to answer your frequently asked questions and eliminate any confusion about firearm regulations in school zones.

Read The Report

Human Growth and Development Compliance Guidance

WILL unveiled new guidance for school districts to comply with state law regarding Human Growth and Development curriculum. School boards should adopt policies that ensure parent participation, and this guide helps achieve that.

Read More

What School Boards Need to Know About Title IX

WILL’s Lead Education Attorney, Cory Brewer authored “What School Boards Need to Know About Title IX” in partnership with AEI to help school boards navigate new Title IX rules coming from the Biden Administration.

Read More

AEI | Empower School Board Members with Policy Solutions
WILL Director of Education Policy, Libby Sobic, is the author of Empower School Board Members With Policy Solutions, a new publication from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Sobic highlights a number of the model school board policies WILL released in June 2022, part of the Restoring American Education initiative.

Read More

Arizona Coalition of School Board Members

An Arizona-based membership organization for school board members and interested community members offering alternative resources that promotes student success and parental rights.

Read More
View Policy Book

Ballotpedia candidate surveys

Use this form to submit information, for Ballotpedia’s readers to learn more about your candidacy.

Read More

Civics Alliance
A compilation of general school board resources.

Read More

Engage to win
Melanie Sturm, founder of Engage to Win, offers remote and in-person trainings for candidates, elected officials, policy advocates, students, and movement leaders. Melanie teaches how to inspire an audience – even skeptics – to follow your lead, not based on what you say, but on what your audience hears you say. She also specializes in crafting customized, issue-focused persuasive messaging.

Read More

Family policy foundation school board academy
Colorado-based organization that advances biblical citizenship, equips and elects statesmen, promotes policy and serves an effective alliance: all committed to a common vision.

Read More

Goldwater Institute

Learn more about their effort for academic transparency, including a district-level model policy.

Learn More

Independence Institute

Learn more about their effort for academic transparency, including a district-level model policy.

Read More

Noah Webster Educational Foundation
Check out these school board trainings.

Learn More

School Boards for Academic Excellence
Check out this resource directory.

Read More

School board member finance training
Delivered by Edunomics Lab at Georgetown, four virtual sessions, 2-hours each, from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT starting September 16, 2022:

Today’s financial choices are complicated. Districts are flush with cash, inflation is eroding wages, enrollment is down and under-enrolled schools are costly. And yet, districts must stay focused on getting students back on track. To helping make sense of it all, Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University is offering a finance workshop just for school board members. Scholarships are available so apply early for those.

School board leaders who go through our training sessions learn to engage more on financial matters and to communicate in ways that build trust on spending decisions affecting students. We think practical, strategic financial skills will be particularly useful in the coming months, so please share this with school board members who would benefit from the opportunity. Send any questions to [email protected].

Read More

Vermilion Education
School Board Consultants and Curriculum Audits

Read More

Share This