Involve students, families, staff, administrators, and school board members in development of school health and safety policies and communicate these policies to them. Provide necessary training to implement policies. Monitor and evaluate policies' implementation and impact.

New policies receive a broader base of support when those affected by them have had the opportunity to contribute to their development. There is a decreased likelihood that a policy will be misunderstood, poorly communicated, or misapplied when its dissemination is planned, people are trained to implement it, and its implementation is monitored to ensure uniform application and enforcement.

To help ensure broad support for school health- and safety-related policies, students, families, staff, administration, and the school board should contribute to their development and implementation. The school health and safety coordinator, working with the health and safety advisory council, may be helpful with coordinating community involvement. When families, school staff, and others affected by policies are left out of the policy development process, the rationale for a policy is more likely to be misunderstood, implementation challenges may multiply, and the policy is more likely to be ignored in practice.

All health- and safety-related policies should be available in writing. Communication can occur through a variety of modalities, including routine staff development opportunities, routine communication such as newsletters to staff and to families, pay slips, policy manuals given to all school employees upon hire (and annually thereafter), Internet-based formats, e-mail messages, or specially convened staff meetings. Those on the staff with direct responsibility for implementing a given policy require more communication and monitoring than other staff or families. For certain policies, all staff members need training. School policy makers at the local level must determine who needs specialized training on specific policies.

Bogden JF. Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards of Education; 2000.

Bogden JF. Someone At School Has AIDS: A Complete Guide to Developing Education Policies Regarding HIV Infection. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards of Education; 2000.