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Trustees approve updated student code of conduct; board asks staff to set districtwide guardrails for new law
Summary
After a detailed presentation on changes tied to 2025 legislation, the board approved the 2025–26 student code of conduct but asked staff to develop consistent campus-level procedures for in-school suspension, teacher removals and virtual-expulsion programs before the school year begins.
The Cedar Hill ISD Board of Trustees approved the district’s 2025–26 student code of conduct July 21 after a staff presentation summarizing legislative changes from the 89th Texas Legislature. The board voted 5–1 to adopt the code with the administration’s recommended clarifications and a directive to produce operational guardrails and training for principals.
District staff said the new law (commonly referenced in the presentation as House Bill 6) changed disciplinary procedures statewide: internal-school suspension (ISS) now lacks the former statutory three-day cap and may be extended after a 10-day academic review; first-time e-cigarette/vape offenses are no longer mandatory disciplinary placements; formal teacher removal procedures were clarified; and virtual-expulsion or hybrid alternatives (including expanded capacity for STRIVE or online instruction) are now options the district must consider under Senate Bill 569.
Trustees raised numerous operational concerns: how campuses will staff and house ISS or restorative rooms, what documented criteria will justify extending ISS beyond the initial period, how teacher-removal committees will be constituted and how the district will prevent inconsistent, campus-by-campus application. Trustees asked for a written plan on who will provide instruction during extended ISS, timelines for appeals, and how the district will expedite appeals and principal consultations so that parental appeals can be handled promptly.
On vaping, trustees urged the administration to return with a clear discipline matrix because the language in the statute was described as “vague” by board members and the high school has experienced substantial vaping incidents. Staff said the district will convene the policy and committee teams to draft uniform procedures, provide principal training during the scheduled principal retreat, and present the operational details back to the board for review. The student code of conduct was adopted 5–1 with the requested follow-up work.
