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Author: communications

Published on
  • Effective: 3/22/1983
  • Revision: 5/23/1995
  • Reviewed: 3/26/2013
  1. Board Directive
    It is the policy of the Board to comply with all laws and regulations governing the use of school property, facilities and equipment.  Responsibility is delegated to the District Administration to develop policies and procedures that (1) prohibit private use of school property, facilities, and equipment for personal gain; and (2) restrict schools from competing with private enterprise except for the purpose of providing students with practical training in applied technology courses.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The following administrative policy provisions shall govern the use of school and District properties, facilities and equipment:

    1. School property and facilities shall not be made available for use by individuals or organizations outside the school system except as specified under Policy DA151—Use of Public School Buildings and Grounds as Civic Centers, which governs non-school use of all District facilities.  All use of District property and facilities for other than school purposes must be conducted through the approved rental process, in accordance with District policy and the Facility Rental Guidelines.
    2. School and District equipment, including computers, copiers, fax machines, and other technical equipment, shall be operated only by authorized personnel for education-related purposes.
      1. Copy machines may not be used for any volume work that is not school or District related. Employees may use District copy machines to make a maximum of five (5) copies for non-school use provided the copies are made outside of contract hours and paid for at the standard commercial rate.
      2. Employees shall not produce personal materials using school or District equipment without express authorization from the principal or immediate supervisor.
        1. All authorized personal use of equipment by employees shall take place outside of regular contract hours.
        2. Employees shall pay for any materials used at standard commercial rates.
        3. Equipment and materials may not be used for personal gain.
      3. Copying District-licensed computer programs for personal use is prohibited.  (Refer to Policy DE 505—Acceptable Use of Copyrighted Materials in Jordan School District.  Personal use of District-owned computer peripherals to copy computer programs is also prohibited.
    3. School and District equipment shall not be removed from the site where it is inventoried unless the item was specifically purchased for use at multiple off-campus locations; i.e., portable computers.
      1. Use of items purchased for use in multiple off-campus locations shall be monitored by the building administrator following strict "check-out/check-in" procedures.  These items shall only be used for District/school education-related purposes.
      2. Any transfer or loan of equipment among schools shall be authorized in advance by the Area Administrator of Schools, monitored on school inventories, and fixed asset transfer procedures followed.
    4. Circulation of films, videotapes, DVDs and other instructional support materials housed in the District Instructional Media Center shall be limited to Jordan District schools and other qualifying educational organizations.
    5. Equipment in the District Instructional Support Center shall be used solely for the production of school and District instructional support materials.

Published on
  • Effective: 3/9/1982
  • Revision: 1/23/2024
  • Reviewed: 12/10/2013
  1. Board Directive
    Students in the Jordan School District are entitled to a broad educational experience utilizing appropriate curriculum materials.  The Board recognizes the need for students to become proficient in the skills and competencies included in the Utah state core standards. The implementation or design of instructional materials will be consistent with community and core standards, maintaining fidelity to the core standards for Utah public schools and selecting evidence-based instructional tools and assessments. The Board delegates to the District Administration the responsibility of organizing a Curriculum Adoption and Review Committee.
  2. Administrative Policy
    Jordan School District's Curriculum Adoption and Review Committee shall be administered according to the following administrative policy provisions:

    1. Learning materials should contribute to the intellectual development of students. These materials should be:
      1. Aligned to the Utah Core Standards, specified course standards, Utah state laws and regulations, applicable USBE rules, and JSD Board policy
      2. Supported by generally accepted standards of evidence
      3. Accurate and factual
      4. Age appropriate
      5. Reflective of contributions from authors, artists, or appropriate experts in the field that represent diverse viewpoints, ethnic and cultural backgrounds and experiences
      6. Representative of diverse cultures
      7. Free of biases or stereotypes related to sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity
      8. Contributes to a balanced perspective
      9. Aligned to support personalized competency-based learning
      10. Compatible with District technology systems, of high technical quality, and easy to use
      11. In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
    2. Definitions
      1. Learning Material - any material used to deliver or support student learning.
        1. Primary Instructional Materials: learning materials that a local school board adopts and approves for use districtwide for student instruction and assessment. Primary instructional materials do not include learning materials used to teach specific electives, concurrent enrollment, advanced placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Dual Language Immersion (DLI), and technical education (CTE) courses.
        2. Supplemental Materials: learning materials an educator selects for classroom use that have not been adopted, approved, or prohibited by a local school board. Supplemental materials may include print and digital resources for educator or student use. Supplemental materials are used for the express purpose of providing context, support, and relevance to student learning.
    3. Primary Instructional Materials
      The Board delegates to the District Administration and the Administrator of Teaching and Learning the responsibility of organizing a Curriculum Advisory Committee. The purpose of the Committee is to provide transparency and understanding in reviewing current primary instructional materials and to provide feedback to the Board in anticipation of adopting new primary instructional materials.

      1. The Curriculum Advisory Committee will:
        1. Review program evaluation data, needs assessment, usage, possible vendors, and curriculum options in anticipation of conducting an RFP (Request for Proposal). The Committee may also review the following:  the reuse or disposal of primary instructional materials in the schools; state-recommended instructional materials (RIMs) and identification of possible primary instructional materials and support materials most appropriate for use in the District; implementation, and possible professional development needs.
        2. Provide notification and information to the Board prior to the RFP process in anticipation of adopting primary instructional materials.
        3. The Committee will meet annually to review primary instructional materials that may be needed within the following school year(s) but may be called into special session as needed.
        4. Members of the Committee will be appointed as follows:
          1) The Board will designate seven members from the community representing each administrative area.
          2)           Administrative Cabinet will designate a total of six school administrators to serve on the Committee with representation from each of the administrative areas.
          3) A District Teaching and Learning consultant will serve as a Committee member and will function as secretary of the Committee.
          4) Six teacher representatives will be nominated by the school principals and consultants.  Committee members will be selected from the lists of nominees and approved by the Administrative Cabinet.  Teacher members will be those who have demonstrated competency in the curriculum area being studied.
          5) Four community members, three principals, and three teacher representatives will serve two-year terms which will expire on the odd year. The other three community members, three principals, and three teacher representatives will also serve two-year terms which will expire on the even year, except the inaugural three-year term to provide a staggered service period.
      2. Following Board notification, specific Request for Proposal (RFP) Committees will be established around the specific curricular content.
        1. Materials requirements and selection criteria are used to develop a technical rubric.
        2. A request for proposals is sent to vendors; Online/digital materials must include in the contract that the provider must notify the District of any material changes to the content.
        3. Applications for service on the RFP committee and sub-committees are sought from the community and educators.
        4. Committee members are trained on their responsibilities, review materials, and apply the rubric to obtain a score using the criteria.
        5. As needed, a presentation phase is scheduled for committee members to hear from vendors.
        6. If scores are not conclusive, a more detailed rubric is applied to vendors with the highest scores.
        7. A pricing rubric is applied to the highest scoring vendors.
        8. Once a vendor has been selected based on the RFP process, the primary instructional materials will be shared with the Board in a public meeting.
        9. Recommended primary instructional materials will then be posted online or shared in a public open house while feedback is collected.
        10. Following the public opportunity for review, materials will be brought again to two public Board of Education meetings for comment, review, and approval.
    4. Supplemental Materials
      Supplemental materials are not specifically adopted by the Board. Teachers have discretion to select appropriate supplemental materials to enhance and enrich student learning. When selecting supplemental materials, teachers should adhere to the following practices, as applicable.

      1. For core areas that have District-wide adopted instructional materials, teachers shall utilize the District-wide adopted material as the primary instructional tool and select supplemental materials as appropriate to provide support, context, and relevance to student learning.
      2. Supplemental materials shall be aligned to the Utah Core Standards, specified course standards, Utah state laws and regulations, applicable USBE rules, and JSD Board policy.
      3. Teachers may choose novels, books to be read aloud, books used as instructional materials, and books used in literature circles from the District approved lists that are aligned with state core standards, interest levels, community standards, backgrounds, and needs of students. See administrative policy AA424 Literature Selection and Review.
      4. Teachers shall vet all instructional materials thoroughly to ensure age and developmental appropriateness and relevance.
      5. Teachers will communicate to parents the use of supplemental materials through course disclosures, welcome letters, class information materials, learning management systems, student portals, etc.
      6. As a resource, teachers should consult the RIMS database for state approved supplemental materials that meet students’ needs.
      7. Learning software or materials with a digital component must be listed as approved on Learn Platform by Teaching and Learning and approved by the Information Systems department prior to use.
      8. Online/digital materials must include in the contract that the provider must notify the District of any material changes to the content.

Related policies:

Published on
  • Effective: 2/9/1982
  • Revision: 6/11/2019
  1. Board Directive
    The Board recognizes the importance of an orderly process to arrive at negotiated settlements with the recognized exclusive representatives and bargaining agents of employee groups (licensed and educational support professionals, excluding administrators).  The Board, therefore, delegates to the Administration the responsibility of conducting good faith negotiations within the parameters set by the Board and reporting those negotiations to the Board.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The employee agent group is defined as the professional employee association with the largest membership based on full-time equivalent employees.  The Administration will recommend to the Board a negotiating team to represent the Board in conducting negotiations with recognized employee groups according to approved administrative policy provisions.

    1. The licensed employees will be represented through the Joint Relations Committee, which will be comprised of the Board’s negotiating team and the negotiating team for the licensed employee group.  Team membership will be established no later than October 1 of each school year.  The mission of the Joint Relations Committee is to enhance the professional employee association/District relationship by fostering open communication and a free exchange of ideas and to identify and resolve issues in a collaborative environment to allow us to provide a quality education for every child in Jordan School District.
    2. Regularly scheduled meetings (monthly) of the Joint Relations Committee (Licensed – Policy A3)  will be held to review and discuss policies, including compensation discussions, to begin no earlier than May 1 of each contract year.  Dates can be changed by mutual agreement.
    3. Formal negotiations meeting dates will be determined no later than May 1 of each contract year.
    4. Beginning with the first formal negotiating session, procedural agreements concerning negotiations will be mutually established.
    5. Changes in compensation and negotiated policy will be considered and finalized through the negotiation process.
    6. The District shall comply with Utah Code 53G-11-206 and will require reimbursement to the school district of the cost of paid association leave activities to the extent required by the Code.
    7. After June 15, if agreement has not been reached in negotiations, the Board or the employee agent group or both parties may declare an impasse.
    8. Immediately after declaration of impasse by either party, the Board will invite the employee agent group to participate in mediation using the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.  The role of the mediator will be to facilitate communication.  All costs associated with mediation will be shared equally by the Board and the employee agent group.
    9. If mediation is not completed or otherwise terminated within forty-five (45) days after the appointment of a mediator, further mediation may continue at the discretion of the Board.
    10. A negotiated agreement entered into by the Board will be posted on the District’s website within ten (10) days of ratification of the agreement.
    11. Results of negotiations will be released in separate but simultaneous meetings by the Board of Education and Jordan Education Association. 

      Revision history:  3/27/2018

2/25/2020: Board of Education approved the term “Education Support Professionals” to replace “Classified” to describe personnel not licensed as educators.

Published on
  • Effective: 9/28/1981
  • Revision: 7/12/2011
  • Reviewed: 6/10/2014
  1. Board Directive
    The Board recognizes the need for an orderly process when circumstances make it necessary to reduce staff.  In the event that it becomes necessary to reduce staff, responsibility is delegated to the District Administration for implementing the policy according to established policy provisions.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The Reduction in Force Policy for education support professionals shall be implemented according to the following administrative policy provisions:

    1. Reduction in Force
      1. In the event of declining student enrollment, the discontinuance or substantial reduction of a particular service or program, the shortage of anticipated revenue, school consolidation, or other unforeseen circumstances, it may become necessary to initiate a reduction in force (RIF).  If a RIF is necessary, seniority will not be used in employee RIF determinations; however, decisions may be within the discretion of the school district to consider the following:
        1. Program and staffing needs of the District
        2. Employee performance evaluation (Jordan Education Support Professionals Evaluation System)
      2. Under normal circumstances, staff members who are to be affected by a reduction in force shall receive at least thirty (30) days notice.
    2.  Rehire
      1. If an education support professional is terminated through a RIF, the employee will be given first consideration for available positions for which they apply and qualify within one (1) year of the date of the RIF.  However, there is no guarantee of continued employment.
      2. If an education support professional subject to a RIF is rehired within one calendar year from the date of the RIF, the employee will receive appropriate step increases, if any have been authorized, and accrued sick leave and other leave benefits will be reinstated at the level existing at the time of the RIF, excluding accrued vacation previously paid out.  If an employee accepts a position on a lower salary lane, benefits and salary will be adjusted to reflect the new lane placement.

Published on

Effective: 9/28/1981
Revision: 6/26/1990
Reviewed: 12/27/2012

  1. Board Directive
    The Board recognizes the need for a policy governing the protection of employees. Responsibility is delegated to the District Administration for implementing the policy according to established provisions.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The Protection of Employees policy will be implemented according to the following provisions:

    1. Employees shall report immediately in writing to their principal or immediate supervisor and to the Superintendent all cases of assault suffered in connection with their employment.
    2. If criminal or civil proceedings are brought against an employee alleging that he/she committed an assault in connection with his/her employment, such employee, after making reports, may request the Board to furnish legal counsel to defend him/her in such proceedings, insofar as the interests of the employee and the District are not conflicting. If the employee is found guilty or liable in such proceedings, such finding may constitute a cause for dismissal from the school system. Fines, damages, penalties, or forfeitures shall not be paid by the Board.
    3. Civil liability insurance coverage shall be provided for each employee to the extent now provided by the law under tort liability. Costs of this coverage shall not be deemed to provide payment for fines, penalties, or forfeitures arising out of criminal proceedings.
    4. Whenever an employee is absent from his/her assignment as a result of personal injury or for appearances before a judicial body of legal authority in connection with an assault case, he/she shall be eligible for sick days. There shall be no loss of wages or reduction in accumulated leave.
    5. Physical restraint may be used by an employee in an extraordinary case of breach of discipline to restrain, if necessary, a disruptive pupil to prevent injury to himself/herself or students, provided the force used is reasonable under the circumstances. The employee shall inform the principal or immediate supervisor at once of such action and shall make an accurate, written report within 24 hours.
    6. The District shall take appropriate action against the person (a student) committing the assault, according to the student discipline policy established by the District.

Published on
  • Effective: 7/21/1981
  • Revision: 9/8/2009

THIS POLICY ONLY APPLIES TO EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE RETIRED PRIOR TO THE 2006-07 CONTRACT YEAR

  1. Board Policy
    The Board shall provide District administrators an early retirement incentive, and directs the District Administration to administer the program as outlined below.
  2. Administration Policy
    The Administration shall administer the Early Retirement Incentive Program according to the following guidelines:
    Guidelines

    1. An administrator is eligible for this benefit if:
      1. The administrator has a minimum of ten (10) years full-time equivalent service with the District and, at the time of resignation, retires under the provisions of the Utah Retirement Systems. Years of service will be calculated on the full-time equivalents; i.e., 2 years of half-time service equal 1 year of full-time service.
      2. The administrator has signed a voluntary early retirement acknowledgment, agreement and waiver to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (P.L. 101—433) prior to the retirement date of the employee.
    2. Each year the retiree will receive a percentage of the difference between Lane A, Step 1, of the teachers' C salary schedule and Lane G, Step 25 of the C salary schedule, plus 10 percent of the difference between the administrator's current salary and the amount on Lane G, Step 25, of the teachers' C salary schedule. The percentages shall be based on Jordan District full-time equivalent service as listed in the following table:
      Equivalent Full-time Years Percentage of the Difference
      10 years 28%
      15 years 38%
      20 years 48%
      25 years 53%
      30 years 58%
    3. This benefit will be paid for a maximum of four (4) years or until the end of the month in which the employee reaches the age for the unreduced Social Security benefit, whichever comes first. An employee retiring during the contract year will be paid monthly commencing the month following the actual retirement date. Employees retiring at the end of the contract year will receive a monthly entitlement commencing with the July 1 pay period.
    4. FROM the date of retirement until the end of the first fiscal year of the benefit, the retiree has two additional options:
      1. The retiree may receive the monthly benefit payments in a lump sum. A penalty of 3.25 percent shall be imposed to offset the District's loss in interest earnings.
      2. The retiree may authorize the District to use the monthly benefit payments to purchase additional service credit for the employee through the State Retirement System. (See Senate Bill 34, passed by the State Legislature in 1995.) A penalty of 3.25 percent shall be imposed to offset the District's loss in interest earnings.
        Note: The rate of the penalty shall be examined annually and adjusted as necessary to reflect significant changes in interest rates.
    5. If death should occur at any point between actual early retirement and the four-year entitlement, a lump sum death benefit payment still due the retiree will be paid to the designated beneficiary (ies). If a retired administrator dies, insurance coverage will continue for eligible dependents according to the schedule outlined in DP319 NEG—Retirement, Licensed.

Published on
  • Effective: 7/1/1980
  • Revision: 9/8/2009
  • Reviewed: 5/28/2013
  1. Board Directive
    The Board recognizes the need for guidelines relating to the absence of licensed personnel to engage in activities within employee agent groups.  The Administration is directed to administer guidelines for released time for licensed personnel for released-time activities.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The following policy will be administered for released time for licensed personnel for employee agent group activities:

    1. The president of the employee agent group may be released as outlined in District Policy A5—NEG – Released Time for Licensed Employee Agent Group President.
    2. No employee shall be given approval for release from his/her duties for activities unless the release is requested in advance in writing by the employee agent group and approved in writing by the Superintendent or designee.
    3. No employee other than the employee agent group president (see Policy A5—NEG) involved in activities that do not directly benefit the District shall be given approval for released time in excess of five (5) days in any one school year.
    4. The appropriate salary and benefit costs for employees granted released time for activities including those that do not directly benefit the District shall be assessed to the employee agent group.  This will be accomplished through remittance of such fees to the District from the respective employee agent group.
    5. Leave records with associated costs will be on file in the Human Resources Department.

Published on
  • Effective: 9/25/1979
  • Revision: 6/14/2022
  • Reviewed: 5/28/2013
  1. Board Directive
    The Board of Education recognizes the need for all 12-month employees to have a vacation from their regular assigned positions.  All personnel who are employed full-time on a 12-month basis are eligible to participate in the vacation program.  The Board delegates responsibility for administering the vacation policy to the District Administration.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The following administrative policy provisions shall be used for administering the vacation policy:

    1. All vacations will be determined from July 1 to June 30 of each contract year.  New employees will have vacation allowance prorated at the rate of .83 days per month and will be eligible to take such accrued vacation after the next June 1.  New employees must work ten (10) or more days in order to accrue any vacation allowance during the first month of employment.  No vacation time will be allowed before the vacation days have been earned.
    2. Vacation days may not be accumulated from one year to the next.  However, vacation days allowed for the following year may be used beginning June of the current year with approval of the immediate supervisor and department director. Unused vacation days allowed for the previous year may be used through December 31 of the current year with approval of the immediate supervisor and department director. After December 31, the vacation allowance may not exceed the days accrued for the current year.
    3. Vacations are to be scheduled at times that are best for the District and the employee.  Generally, vacations are to be scheduled during off-peak work seasons.  Any special considerations must be approved by the immediate supervisor.  Employees must present written vacation plans to the immediate supervisor for approval in advance.
    4. The length of vacation is figured on the number of years of continuous contract service in the District.  For purposes of computing movement on the vacation schedule, employees hired prior to January 1 will be credited with a full year's employment for the first contract year.  Those hired after January 1 will not receive vacation credit for the first year.  (Placement on the salary schedule has no relation to vacation allowance.)
    5. Vacation Schedule
      Continuous Contract Service as of July 1

      Vacation Days Accrued
      1 Month 1 Day
      2 Months 2 Days
      3 Months 3 Days
      4 Months 3 Days
      5 Months 4 Days
      6 Months 5 Days
      7 Months 6 Days
      8 Months 7 Days
      9 Months 8 Days
      10 Months 8 Days
      11 Months 9 Days
      1 to 3 Years 10 Days
      4 to 5 Years 11 Days
      6 to 7 Years 12 days
      8 to 9 Years 13 Days
      10 to 12 Years 15 days
      13 Years 16 days
      14 Years 17 days
      15 Years 18 days
      16 Years 19 Days
      17 Years and beyond 20 Days

Published on
  • Effective: 9/11/1979
  • Revision: 11/23/2004
    1. Board Policy
      The Board delegates responsibility for planning and directing a community relations program to the Superintendent of Schools.
      The Superintendent:

      1. Has primary responsibility for planning and coordinating a community relations program that builds public trust through effective, targeted communications.
      2. Delegates the proper community relations functions and commensurate authority to the Office of Communications without relinquishing his/her own authority.
      3. Makes effective use of available technical assistance from staff members and public relations consultants, and assigns specific responsibility to specific persons.
      4. Encourages and expects the staff of each school to maintain exemplary community relations.
      5. Develops a comprehensive set of long-range and short-term objectives designed to assure an appropriate and effective community relations program for the District.
    2. Administration Policy
      1. The District community relations program shall be the responsibility assigned to the Superintendent of Schools. To meet the intent of the Board, the community relations process shall consist of four equal concepts as follows:
        1. Analysis
          Analyze priority audiences to determine attitudes, understanding, and the degree of support generated by the school system.
        2. Planning
          Maintain an ongoing integrated communications plan to deal effectively with what is important to the school system and to maintain public trust.
        3. Communication
          Implement effective two-way communication with key audiences.
        4. Evaluation
          Evaluate the effectiveness of the community relations program, making revisions and adaptations as circumstances dictate.
      2. Objectives
        Following is a set of long-range community relations objectives:

        1. Maintain an effective media relations program to respond to media inquiries, proactively promote awareness for school and department activities and provide ongoing media training for administrators.
        2. Establish an internal communications program to communicate with employees and other internal groups.
        3. Develop an external communications program that provides critical information to District patrons, taxpayers and other key audiences.
        4. Implement an Internet strategy and Web presence to support the internal and external communications programs. Provide support and training for Districtwide and school-specific customer service and public/community relations initiatives.
        5. Develop and support District coalition building activities with key communicators.
        6. Conduct research and evaluation, as necessary, to support and direct District community relations efforts.

Published on
  • Effective: 5/15/1979
  • Revision: 5/23/2017
  • Reviewed: 6/10/2014
  1. Board Directive
    The Board recognizes that there are times when employees could benefit from a year's leave of absence.  This leave could be used for any purpose which is substantially different from the employee's current job assignment or duties but may not be used to enable an employee to take similar employment with another district, company, organization, etc., within the State of Utah.  A leave of absence of up to one (1) year may be granted upon recommendation of the employee's supervisor and approval by the Human Resources Department.  The Administration is delegated to administer a policy for a one-year leave of absence for education support professionals.
  2. Administrative Policy
    The following administrative policy provisions shall be followed in implementing Board policy:

    1. Requests for a leave of absence must be submitted online through Employee Access at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the anticipated leave.  All requested information must be provided on the online form.  The leave cannot extend beyond one (1) year from the day the leave was granted.
    2. Employees will not receive salary or fringe benefits while on leave of absence.  Health and accident insurance may be purchased through the District under the COBRA option.  The cost will be 102 percent of the established premium rate.
    3. The employee must verbally notify his/her principal or director prior to submitting the online leave request.  The principal or director will be notified by the Human Resources Department upon receipt of the completed leave request.
    4. The employee will be notified in writing of approval or denial of the leave request.  The employee will notify the District in writing 30 days prior to the date he/she intends to return.  The employee will be placed in the first available position for which he/she is qualified and licensed and shall be paid at the level appropriate to that position without loss of seniority and benefits.  An employee returning from a leave will be placed back into an equal position to which he/she was assigned prior to the leave as soon as a position becomes available.
    5. Transportation employees returning from a one-year leave of absence may be placed on the substitute driver list and then bid on the first available position for which he/she is qualified consistent with District policy DA168 NEG—Assignment of Bus Drivers and Bus Attendants.
    6. This leave shall not apply to provisional employees unless for recuperative purposes for illness or injury.
    7. This leave will not be granted in successive years except for illness or injury.
    8. This leave does not provide experience credit for salary placement.