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Discovering the Relationship between the Law and Your School

Irving Barraza

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD 505: Educational Law

Michael Nelson

01-18-2023
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Discovering the Relationship between the Law and Your School

As a school administrator, it is vital to have a good understanding of the laws and school

policies that pertain to education. A school administrator must understand the laws and policies

the state and the district have set in place. They must also understand why these policies are put

in place. The district policy manual should be something the principal has easy access to,

understands how to navigate through and is familiar with. It is also important for the

administrator to know and understand the staff manual and student handbooks to be able to act

accordingly with the required state, district, and school policies.

The Role of the Principal

The role of the principal is to ensure a safe environment for students to learn and teachers

to teach, oversee the general operation of the school, oversee daily activities, approve teacher

curriculum and its appropriate implementation, as well as school-wide discipline (Laveen

Elementary School District No. 59 [LESD No. 59], 2012). It is also an administrator’s

responsibility to conduct appropriate evaluations of the staff throughout the year to ensure that

staff members are upholding district expectations, per the staff handbook. It is also in the

principal’s duties to ensure students’ progress and growth in the general curriculum, along with

maintaining an appropriate and functioning special education program (Laveen Elementary

School District [LESD], 2021).

Enforcing Policies

The principal must provide site-based training to all staff members before starting the

school year (LESD No. 59, 2012). Newly hired staff certified staff will also have additional

district-level training provided before the start of the school year and may be provided at their

assigned site, the district office, or a mixture of both. To promote continued professional growth
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LESD (2021), also states that teachers must complete 8 hours of professional development for

returning teachers, or 12 hours for new teachers, throughout the school year. These policies

ensure that all members, new and returning, have had adequate training prior to students being

on campus and while they are continuously employed. District-level training consists of an

introduction to the district mission, district policies, and other pertinent information. School-

based training adds to this by also implementing specific site policies. Following the Staff

Handbook, newly hired certified staff members must report to work, per their contract, one week

before the return of returning teachers (LESD, 2021). This additional time gives the school

administrators and the staff adequate time to teach and learn important information.

Legal Consequences

As I looked through my district’s policy manual, I noticed how each section had laws that

were attached that pertained to that section. For example, in Section G, they referenced Arizona

Revised Statue 15-502 as it pertained to maintaining certified teachers who have current and up-

to-date teaching certificates (Arizona State Legislature [ARS], 2023). Amongst other

subsections, the principal or administration team hiring new teachers must ensure the teacher is

qualified to teach in the state of Arizona. It was also stated within the policy manual that a

candidate teacher must provide the district with valid teaching credentials within 3 months of

teaching or the district has a right to breach the teacher’s contract (LESD No. 59, 2012). This

places huge importance on the principal hiring to ensure they are following district and state

guidelines. If it is noted that the principal is breaching any of the policies they may be put on

unpaid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted which may lead to disciplinary

action, up to and including termination, taken upon the administrator (LESD No. 59, 2012).
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From what I was able to gather, this applied to many of the sections, including, but not limited

to, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Employee Complaints, and Special Education.

School Vision

The policy manual seemed to be a much longer and extended version of the Staff

Handbook and Student Handbook. The Student Handbook stated the school’s vision “is to have

all students reach their academic and social potentials, with technology serving as a catalyst to

learning” (Laveen Elementary School District [LESD], 2022, “Welcome to Desert Meadows

School” section). Each school in my district has a different curricular identifier such as fine arts,

dual language, or technology. My school site is focused on technology integration, stating within

the Staff Handbook that we will “[use] a number of technology tools to enhance instruction and

educate students” (LESD, 2021, p. 21). It is my principal’s responsibility to enact policies

ensuring the appropriate use of technology in the class, while also having an expanding

technology program that students have access to. To do this, various training sessions are set,

some optional and some mandatory, where teachers and staff are trained on different applications

and uses of technology that can be integrated into classrooms to further students’ understanding

of the curriculum. By doing so, and by being an active participant, the principal is acting upon

the school’s vision which is to use technology as a catalyst for learning.

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References

Arizona State Legislature. (2023). 15-502. Employment of school district personnel. 15-502 -
employment of school district personnel; payment of wages of discharged employee.
Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00502.htm

Laveen Elementary School District No. 59. (2012). Governing Board Policy Manual (Vol. I-II).
Laveen Elementary School District.

Laveen Elementary School District. (2021). Desert Meadows Staff Handbook. Google Drive.
Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_cHsZcUGcevnrU-
VxwQiLPDHKcLM6hIH/view

Laveen Elementary School District. (2022). Desert Meadows School Student Handbook. Laveen
Elementary School District.