Marlington board to present multiple policy updates tied to House Bill 96 at next meeting

At the Oct. 8 work session, the Marlington Local School District Board reviewed a package of policy revisions that district staff said are required by House Bill 96 and other recent legal changes. The policies were placed on the agenda for first reading at the board's next meeting.

Why it matters: the updates span nondiscrimination and anti-harassment language, student use of personal communication devices during instructional time, participation rules for homeschooled and non-enrolled students in extracurriculars, digital accessibility requirements (including closed-captioning), and school-safety and student-supervision provisions tied to federal and state requirements.

Key points

- Nondiscrimination and employment policy updates: staff identified replacement and consolidation of nondiscrimination and equal-employment policy language (policy numbers cited in the packet: 2222, 2266 and related bylaws), and technical corrections to ensure references align with state naming conventions. - Personal communication devices: Policy 5136 (personal communication devices) was highlighted as a significant change; staff noted the law limits phone use during the instructional day and that current district language will be revised to comply. - Participation and special-education access: Staff said policies (including 2430.02 and 9270) expand participation rights for homeschooled students and clarify access for students covered by certain state scholarship programs, including junior ROTC participation and participation by recipients of scholarship programs for special-education services. - Digital content and accessibility: Policy 7540.02 on digital content and accessibility was listed as a required update to conform with accessibility and closed-captioning expectations; staff noted these changes affect posted video and online materials. - Student supervision and safety: Staff identified updates tied to student supervision, child-abuse reporting (policy 8040+ references), and inclusion of the 988 suicide-prevention contact information where required.

Attribution and process

District staff told the board these revisions reflect statutory changes and legal updates; staff said the full policy texts and a legal-update memo were included in the board packet and that the policies will be presented for first reading at the next regular meeting, with an opportunity for public review before final action.

Ending

Board members were given 30 days to review the packet and directed to contact district administrators or legal staff with questions. Several board members asked for clarifying language or confirmation of compliance; staff said they would provide brief written summaries and return any suggested edits at the required read and adoption cycle.