The School Committee recognizes the importance of clearly communicating school and district expectations, procedures, and policies to students, families, and staff through official handbooks. All handbooks bearing the name of the school district or any of its schools shall reflect the standards, policies, and expectations established by the Smithfield School Committee.
Each school shall annually prepare and distribute, in electronic form and in hard copy upon request, a student handbook. Handbooks shall be prominently posted on the district and/or school website.
The applicable building administrator shall be responsible for the development and annual review of the handbook for their school. The Athletic Director shall be responsive for the development and annual review of the Student-Athlete and Coaches handbooks. Each handbook shall be submitted to the Superintendent for review and recommendation. Following Superintendent review, all handbooks shall be forwarded to the School Committee’s Policy Subcommittee for review and recommendation to the full School Committee. Final approval of all handbooks shall be granted by majority vote of the Smithfield School Committee prior to publication. The School Committee shall endeavor to complete approval of all handbooks by August 1 of each school year.
Any revisions proposed after initial approval, including mid-year changes, shall be subject to the same review and approval process.
Handbooks shall include, at a minimum, the Code of Conduct and the District’s Bullying Policy. Secondary school handbooks shall also include the Teen Dating Violence Policy. Handbooks shall reference applicable district-wide policies and may include building-specific regulations and procedures consistent with School Committee policy.
In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of a handbook and School Committee policy, School Committee policy shall prevail. Deference to School Committee policy shall be noted in each handbook.
The administration shall establish a process requiring annual acknowledgment of receipt and review of the applicable handbook by students and parents/guardians.
ADOPTED: August 19, 2019
REVISED: March 19, 2026
LEGAL REFERENCE: Rhode Island General Laws §16-2-11