The Sherman Independent School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 11 approved three policy items driven by 2023–2025 state legislation: restrictions on students' personal communication devices during the instructional day (House Bill 1481), a local policy opting out of allowing homeschooled students to participate in University Interscholastic League (UIL) activities (Senate Bill 401 / Texas Education Code 33.0832), and a District of Innovation (DOI) amendment to continue using the district's current grievance procedures rather than newly required Chapter 26A grievance rules (Senate Bill 12 and House Bill 12).

Cell-phone policy: The board adopted a revised FNCE Local policy to comply with HB 1481, which requires districts to define allowable exceptions and disciplinary consequences for student use of personal communication devices during school hours. The administration's recommendation included exceptions for medical needs and teacher-approved instructional uses.

UIL/homeschool decision: On the motion recorded during the meeting, trustees voted to adopt a local policy restricting UIL participation to students enrolled in Sherman ISD and to opt out of statewide provisions that would otherwise permit homeschooled students to compete for district teams beginning in the 2025–26 school year. Trustees discussed funding and eligibility implications — district staff noted that districts could receive a one-sixth Basic Allotment (state funding) per participating non-enrolled student but raised concerns about academic eligibility verification, attendance monitoring, and additional administrative workload.

Grievance process via DOI: Trustees also approved a DOI plan amendment to exempt Sherman ISD from the new Chapter 26A grievance procedure requirements and to continue operating under the district's existing policies (F and G Local and DGBA Local). The administration said the district's current grievance procedures already provide due process and employee protections.

Votes and implementation: The three administrative recommendations were approved in separate motions during the meeting. The board recorded each motion as passed in open session; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the public transcript. The homeschool/UIL policy will be reviewed annually and can be revisited at future board meetings as required by state deadlines.

Discussion vs. decision: Board discussion included questions about how academic eligibility would be verified for non-enrolled students, whether participation would be limited to students living inside Sherman ISD tax/attendance boundaries, and the potential need for additional district staffing to manage eligibility and monitoring. The decisions adopted policies or opt-outs rather than creating new program enrollments.