Foundational Policies & Practices of School Leadership
This domain tests the legal and operational frame a Florida school leader works inside: governance, statutory duties, student and employee rights, finance, and ethical decisions. Items are scenario-based - a parent demand, a budget line, a discipline call - and ask which action is lawful and defensible, not merely sensible.
Where authority sits
- Florida's Constitution (Article IX) makes the Legislature responsible for a uniform system of free public schools; the State Board of Education and Commissioner issue statewide rules, and district school boards govern locally under F.S. 1001.32–1001.42.
- The board adopts policy, the budget, and the student progression plan; the superintendent implements them. The principal holds building-level operational authority - scheduling, staffing recommendations, and school compliance.
- The School Advisory Council, with membership set by F.S. 1001.452, must help develop and evaluate the school improvement plan.
- Sunshine Law and Article I, section 24: meetings are noticed and minuted, and records are open unless a statutory exemption applies (for example, certain student and personnel records).
Rights that create procedure
- FERPA: parents may inspect and seek amendment of education records, with a response expected within 45 days; disclosure requires consent or a specific exception.
- IDEA: child find, FAPE, IEP team decisions, least restrictive environment, and discipline protections. Removal beyond 10 school days in a year is a change of placement requiring a manifestation determination within 10 school days, with services continuing.
- Section 504 covers a broader range of impairments. Title I, McKinney-Vento (immediate enrollment for homeless students), and the META Consent Decree (ELL identification, parent notification, the right to decline services) each add program-specific duties.
Money and controls
- The FEFP funds districts through a base student allocation multiplied by cost factors. Categorical and grant funds are restricted to their stated purpose, and a leader must be able to trace spending back to an approved plan.
Worked example
A third grader with an IEP receives a 6-day suspension, and staff ask for 12 days. The 10-day line is the hinge: short-term removals are not a change of placement, but once removals total more than 10 school days in a year, the IEP team must decide whether the conduct was a manifestation of the disability. If it was, the student returns unless the behavior involved weapons, drugs, or serious bodily injury - then up to 45 school days in an interim alternative setting is permitted. If not a manifestation, ordinary discipline may apply while services continue.
Traps
- Collapsing FERPA and IDEA confidentiality into one rule; IDEA is stricter.
- Assuming a board member may direct staff individually rather than through board action.
- Treating restricted funds as interchangeable with general operating money.
- Ignoring parent notification and consent timelines for ELL programs.