Use the shared reference; check local applicability

A shared reference can help staff use consistent terms and coordinate a common question. It does not establish that a policy, procedure, entitlement, or local instruction applies to every school.

For regulated, safety-critical, or sensitive matters, use the responsible domain owner's approved source and involve the trained role identified by that source. For school-specific context, check with the responsible local role.

Worked example: locating staff guidance

A practical handoff that preserves both a shared source and local context.

Shared question

The question

Staff at Cedar School and Lakeview School both ask where to find the current network guidance for a shared staff process. Cedar uses a local staff page to explain where the network reference fits; Lakeview uses a different local page.

  • The common question is where the shared reference lives.
  • The local pages explain each school's own context.
Clear ownership

The useful response

The network guidance owner confirms the authoritative shared source through the organization's approved process. Each school's local contact then updates its own explanation to point staff to that source and describe the local context.

  • Keep one authoritative home for the shared reference.
  • Keep school-specific explanation with the school that owns it.
Next step

The handoff note

A concise coordination note records the question, the shared source owner, the schools affected, local differences to preserve, and who will check that the two explanations remain aligned.

  • State the next owner and check-in.
  • Escalate a disagreement about scope to the responsible domain owner.