Plano ISD trustees unanimously approved the district’s 2025–26 student code of conduct Tuesday, adding a state-recommended definition of antisemitism and several discipline changes that school leaders said are intended to align district practice with new state laws.
The board adopted the code as presented. Assistant Superintendent for Student Success Courtney Gober walked trustees through the largest substantive changes: the code now incorporates the state definition of antisemitism, clarifies dress-code prohibitions for offensive or demeaning content, requires each campus to designate a campus behavior coordinator and modifies suspension and teacher-removal procedures.
"We are wanting to include this definition in our code of conduct," Gober said, describing the change that aligns with recent action from the Texas Education Agency. The definition is intended for use in discipline, bullying and dress-code contexts, staff said.
Other key changes: the code specifies a three-step progressive response to personal-communication-device violations (warning/reteach, one day in-school suspension, then three days), establishes that possession or use of vaping devices triggers a mandatory minimum 10-day in-school suspension (and sale of vapes can lead to mandatory DAEP placement), and clarifies that expulsions will be applied for enumerated serious offenses such as murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault of a district employee and certain weapons offenses. Staff emphasized the district will use the least-restrictive approaches where permitted by law.
Why it matters: Several bills from the recent legislative session changed school discipline law and parental-rights provisions. Some changes take effect immediately and others phase in; trustees were told this code reflects required elements for the coming school year. The changes are likely to alter campus protocols, teacher removal procedures and how the district handles vaping and other incidents.
What trustees asked: Trustees asked about operational details such as how parents will contact students in emergencies, how the district will treat students with medical devices and how disciplinary records affect transcripts. Gober said in-school suspension does not count as an absence and does not appear on the academic transcript; students who need medical-device access should work with their campus to update IEP or 504 documentation.
Board action: A motion to approve the annual code of conduct carried 7-0. The adoption sets the districtwide disciplinary framework for the school year and will be distributed in parent enrollment materials and the new code-of-conduct bulletin.
Ending: Trustees and staff said the district will continue to train teachers and campus administrators on the updated rules and will provide additional parent-facing information before school opens.