The Worthington City School District Board of Education held a first reading of a large set of policy updates and discussed specific wording changes to student device rules, driver education attendance, and references to existing policy language. No final policy adoptions were made during the session; the board split the packet so the remaining pages will return in a subsequent meeting.

The nut graf: Board members and policy committee leaders said the packet was being reviewed in two parts to avoid overloading the board; the first half included revisions intended to bring district policy into alignment with state law and local practice.

During the discussion, board member Nikki Hudson and Vice President Amber Epling Skinner described a plan to review the first half of approximately 200 pages now and the remainder in coming weeks. Members focused on the personal communication device (PCD) policy (drafted with Neola template language), debating where to place general prohibitions (grade‑band specific language vs. a general rule), whether to reference other recording/recording‑devices policies, and how to handle elementary smartwatch language. Superintendent Trent Bowers and other board members suggested removing a duplicate paragraph that said students are prohibited from using PCDs in ways that infringe on privacy and instead rely on a standalone recording/recording‑devices policy.

On driver education attendance and excused absences, the group discussed how to treat attendance for students leaving for driver's ed classes. Board members agreed to simplify some optional language, limiting the policy's elaboration and retaining the sentence that students who miss school for driver education must complete missed assignments; the board directed staff to remove extended optional language that would have restricted attendance during "core curriculum subject course" timeframes in a way that might be overly restrictive for high‑school scheduling. Members asked staff to verify whether specific "core curriculum" phrasing is required by the Ohio Revised Code; staff said they would confirm and consider defining curricular bands for elementary, middle, and high school if needed.

Other policies reviewed in the first reading included references to student records, personnel procedures, vehicle usage, digital content and accessibility, and credit‑card/PCI compliance language. Board members said much of the packet was intended to align district policy with state law and vendor template revisions; legal counsel and Neola representatives will continue to assist as the committee prepares the second half.

Ending: The board left the policy items in first reading, took note of targeted edits (removal of duplicated recording language, clarifying possession/grade‑band language for PCDs, and striking optional driver's‑ed limits), and scheduled the remaining policy review in a subsequent meeting. Staff will follow up with legal counsel and update the draft for the next reading.

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