Throughout the spring semester, the Employee Voice and Action Committee (EVAAC) has been evaluating several issues related to working conditions for ACPS employees. At this point, we would like to share an update on our work pertaining to personal leave, which is earned by 10- and 11-month employees. (This should not be confused with annual leave, which is earned by 12-month employees.) In addition to sharing this update, we are asking 10- and 11-month employees for input to guide our next steps. Continue reading
Category Archives: Policy
Fall Policy Updates (September, October & November)
Albemarle County Public Schools has a number of policies that govern our operations in alignment with state code and our division vision, mission and values. Our policies must be reviewed once every five years, though we often review them more frequently due to changes in Virginia Code or the needs of our school system. As part of the review process, we use our Equity Checklist to ensure that our policies are having a positive impact on equity in the school division. So far in 2022, we have updated, revised or deleted 103 policies.
In September, October, and November, the following 23 policies were updated, most with minor changes: Continue reading
Division’s Policy Protecting Transgender & Gender-Expansive Students Remains in Place
Over the weekend, several media outlets reported that the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has drafted new guidance on the treatment of transgender and gender-expansive students in schools. This newly-proposed guidance differs significantly from the current guidance in place, which in 2021 led to the development of our Policy on the Treatment of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students.
Beginning Monday, September 26, the VDOE will open a 30-day public comment period on the proposed new guidance on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website. Here is the statement we issued to the media yesterday in response to requests about how this new guidance will impact our policy: Continue reading
Summer Policy Updates (June, July & August)
Albemarle County Public Schools has a number of policies that govern our operations in alignment with state code and our division vision, mission and values. Our policies must be reviewed once every five years, though we often review them more frequently due to changes in Virginia Code or the needs of our school system. As part of the review process, we use our Equity Checklist to ensure that our policies are having a positive impact on equity in the school division. So far in 2022, we have updated, revised or deleted 80 policies.
Staff who are interested in reviewing the edits to each policy can access the documents as they were presented to the school board (with “track changes” shown) in ElectronicSchoolBoard (ESB). Within each meeting agenda, under the “Approval of Consent Agenda” heading, click on the items titled “For Information: Policy Review and Revision” or “For Action: Policy Review and Revision.”
In June, July and August, 27 policies were updated, including Policy GA, Employee Relations Principles Between the School Board and Its Employees, which was readopted in June after being deleted in April. Continue reading
May 2022 Policy Updates
Albemarle County Public Schools has a number of policies that govern our operations in alignment with state code and our division vision, mission and values. Our policies must be reviewed once every five years, though we often review them more frequently due to changes in Virginia Code or the needs of our school system. As part of the review process, we use our Equity Checklist to ensure that our policies are having a positive impact on equity in the school division. So far in 2022, we have updated, revised or deleted 52 policies. Continue reading
Gender-Inclusive Planning Team Invitation
Would you like to have a meaningful impact on creating inclusive school environments for gender-expansive students? In August 2021, the Albemarle County School Board adopted the Policy on the Treatment of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students. In order to plan for the implementation of the actions outlined in this policy, we are creating a diverse team of educators, administrators and employees, which will convene up to three times over the summer months. To be a part of this important team, or to share your thoughts on this topic, please contact Jamie Gellner at jgellner@k12albemarle.org by Thursday, June 9.
April 2022 Policy Updates
Albemarle County Public Schools has a number of policies that govern our operations in alignment with state code and our division vision, mission and values. Our policies must be reviewed once every five years, though we often review them more frequently due to changes in Virginia Code or the needs of our school system. So far in 2022, we have updated, revised or deleted 51 policies. As part of the review process, we use our Equity Checklist to ensure that our policies are having a positive impact on equity in the school division. Continue reading
School Board Policies Now More Accessible Through the ACPS Website
Albemarle County School Board policies are available online through ElectronicSchoolBoard (ESB), the division’s paperless meeting system. While policies will continue to be available to stakeholders in PDF format through ESB, the division has recently migrated the content of our policies to our website for translation and accessibility purposes.
Through the School Board Policy page of the ACPS website, students, employees, and members of the public can now access our policies in English or any of six other languages currently featured through our website’s translation service, including Arabic, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Spanish, and Swahili. This transition also ensures that our policies are accessible to the visually impaired or anyone who uses a screen reader to read website content. Continue reading
March 2022 Policy Updates
Albemarle County Public Schools has a number of policies that govern our operations in alignment with state code and our division vision, mission and values. Our policies must be reviewed once every five years, though we often review them more frequently due to changes in Virginia Code or the needs of our school system. So far in 2022, we have updated, revised or deleted 33 policies. Continue reading