The Need for Policies
by Mike Mathes
November 28, 2007
In the Seaman school district customer service has always been a top priority. However, in an organization as large as our school district it is necessary to have many policies in place in order to operate efficiently and effectively. Nearly everyday administrators receive phone calls wanting us to make an exception to various school district policies. As important as it is to be able to provide quality customer service, it is not always possible to grant exceptions. Even though it may seem like a valid reason for granting an exception doing so could cause many operational problems. For example, the transportation policy of allowing only one pick up and drop off address is necessary so we do not ever leave a student at the wrong address or at an address with no adult there. It may seem that an exception should be made to pick up a student at a different location just one day a week when the bus goes right by that address anyway. However, everyone who asks for an exception has a valid reason. If we allow one exception we have to allow them all. At that point we could easily lose a student in the shuffle. So for the safety of our students we simply cannot allow any exceptions to the rule. Another example is our transfer policy. If the policy says no transfers into a building then we cannot make an exception even for a legitimate reason. To allow one exception voids the policy and chaos reigns. So as situations come up during the year please do call and we will do everything we can to help you with your situation. However, sometimes the only answer we can give you is simply no. But rest assured that when you make a request we cannot grant we always sit down and go over the policy to make sure that it is still the most effective way to operate the system. If we can come up with a better alternative we will recommend a change in the policy. But until a change is made we must continue to operate according to our policies and cannot grant exceptions. Thanks for your understanding and support of some of the necessary bureaucracy involved in running a large school district.
