FSS Policy Volunteers
Help FSS Monitor, Analyze, or Report about SAPS Policy
Policy changes at ISD No. 834 have been galvanizing cause of our movement. If you would consider assisting with Board Meeting or Committee Meeting attendance, research, data entry, or video production, all would come in very handy. We meet as volunteers weekly organizing progress on projects and products, but we would be happy for coordinate participation on a more individual basis. Thank you very much for your consideration. Also, we do need donations to cover costs such production of our newsletter.
Go to the General FSS Volunteer Interest Page
School Board Policymaking
The District has a few hundred enumerated policies organized by categories, each is given a number between 100-999, with many newer policies using decimal places to place a related policy adjacent to a main policy on a subject. You can view all District "Policies" on the Board Policies, here, or use the table of links, below.
A note about what is and is not considered and included in this list of policy:
The word "policy," as used by the District, is limited to essentially their highest order of laws or rules governing the district, employees, and operations. There are other categories of written rules governing the district, employees, and operations, that the district does not have listed as "policies," but which govern affairs to the extent not conflicting with policies or local, state, or federal law. These include, "protocols," which are passed by the Board, and, "guidance," which may come solely from the Superintendent.
Email [email protected] to be given notices of the Policy Committee, which
How Policies are Made
As explained above, official policies of any government agency include not just formally promulgated written or codified regulations, but other forms of rules. The "Policy Committee" of the ISD No. 834 Board of Education, which is mostly comprised of School Board Members and the Superintendent, reviews the "Policies" on a schedule, as needed, or based on the recommendations of third-party organizations such as the Minnesota School Boards Association, based in St. Peter, which is not a government agency, but merely a dues-receiving organization funded by member School Districts.
The Policy Committee does list its meetings on the full calendar, thanks to FSS raising the issue of such being required by law. Contact the district administrator to request all notices and materials related to the committee. Email us at [email protected]. We would appreciate growing the public attendance at Policy Committee meetings.
FSS has pressed the District to operate the Policy Committee in compliance with Open Meeting Law (Minn. Stat. 13D), which requires more information be directly shared about the activity of the Policy Committee. Transparency is the winning strategy for the District and public.
In the summer of 2025, the School Board adopted a change to information request (a.k.a. "data request) fees that suggested the District was pushing to overcharge beyond the statutory limits set upon all Minnesota government agencies. FSS has notified the school district, but we are awaiting the correction.
Please read our White Paper on School Policies for more information and a briefed on some of our researched conclusions. Please send questions or comments about the White Paper on School Policies to [email protected].