• The Ayer Shirley Regional School District operates according to policies established by the Ayer Shirley Regional School Committee. The Committee then appraises the effects of its policies and makes revisions as necessary. In the interests of harmony, efficiency, uniformity of interpretation, coordination of effort, and fairness to all concerned, the Committee makes this manual available to all who are affected by its policies. 

    The policy manual contains all of the current written policies of the Ayer Shirley Regional School Committee to date. But, the need for putting additional policies in writing, for adopting new or revising existing ones, becomes apparent. State laws and regulations change. No matter how well-conceived and well developed, a policy manual can never be 100% complete and 100% up-to-date. Policy development is a continuing process. From time to time, new policies, regulations, and reference documents will be developed, coded under the National School Boards Association classification system, and issued for insertion in the manual.

    Ayer Shirley Regional School Committee policies and regulations, as well as negotiated agreements with staff bargaining units, must be read and interpreted in light of the Massachusetts General Laws and State regulations. Wherever inconsistencies of interpretation arise, the law and state regulations prevail. A conflict between a local policy or regulation and a negotiated agreement must be interpreted in line with the contract for members of the particular bargaining unit.

    It is the hope of the Ayer Shirley Regional School Committee that this collection of policies and regulations will make greater harmony and efficiency possible in all areas of school operations. This will enable the Committee to devote more time to its primary duty--the development of long-range policies and planning for the future of the school district.

    Please Note: All copies of this manual are the property of the Ayer Shirley Regional School District.