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Board adopts revised student‑discipline policy to align with 2025 state law changes
Summary
Trustees approved updates to policy 3241 (student discipline) to conform with recent state rule changes, and directed staff to return procedural details that include a disciplinary matrix and restorative approaches.
The Mercer Island School District Board of Directors voted to adopt revisions to Board Policy 3241, the district—s student‑discipline policy, to align the policy with changes to state law that took effect in July 2025.
Assistant Superintendent Batteriesby told the board the changes mirror new statutory language and accompanying WAC guidance and remove redundant text to improve clarity. "Most of the changes you'll see will be changes to do a couple of things. One is to ensure alignment with the changes of law," Batteriesby said in the presentation.
The board discussed including explicit language encouraging restorative practices and clarifying what is discretionary versus nondiscretionary discipline. Batteriesby said the board would receive procedural materials after the policy adoption, including "a disciplinary matrix" that would make likely outcomes more transparent to families. "Exclusion is not where we go to in terms of our first attempt to get corrected action," she said, describing the district—s preference for learning‑focused responses when appropriate.
Several directors asked that discretionary authority be applied consistently to avoid unequal treatment between students. One director suggested adopting restorative approaches in the policy text; staff said those concepts will appear in the procedures and discipline matrix that will follow the policy adoption.
The board moved and seconded a motion to adopt the revised Policy 3241. The vote was taken by voice; students and board members answered "Aye," and the chair declared the motion adopted.
Board members directed staff to present the accompanying procedures, the disciplinary matrix and implementation guidance at an upcoming meeting so trustees can review safeguards intended to prevent arbitrary or discriminatory application.
No changes to funding were adopted with the policy; the board said the revisions were intended to bring district policy into compliance with state law and to increase transparency about possible discipline outcomes.
