The Obion County Board of Education on Aug. 4 approved a package of amendments to district policies to align with recent Tennessee statutes and updated model policies from the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA). Director of Schools Tim Watkins presented the changes and the board voted to adopt them.

The amendments implement several state-driven changes that affect district operations. The board approved allowing public records requests via electronic transmission in Board Policy 1.407; updated Board Policy 1.901 on charter school applications to reflect Public Chapter 275 and new reporting requirements to the Tennessee Public Charter Schools Commission; raised the federal disposal threshold in policy 2.403 to $10,000; added a clarification to the Emergency Preparedness Plan (Policy 3.202) consistent with Public Chapter 315 limiting required fire drills to no more than two within the first 30 full school days; and added hybrid-learning provisions to the Virtual Education Program policy (4.212) consistent with Public Chapter 484 and with a required attendance policy if hybrid learning is used.

The board also approved amendments permitting students enrolled in virtual schools to participate in interscholastic athletics in accordance with TSSAA or TMSAA guidelines (Policy 4.301); updated library-materials policy (4.4031) to reflect a change in state law that materials may not be excluded solely because they are religious in nature; required that K–8 report cards include the student's score on the most recently administered universal reading screener and dyslexia screener results where applicable (Policy 4.601); and updated attendance and released-time provisions (Policy 6.200) to highlight background-check responsibilities for entities offering released-time courses in line with Public Chapter 401. The board also removed the requirement for educator diversity goals from Personnel Goals (5.100) and School District Goals (1.700), as required by new state law.

Director Watkins told the board that TSBA’s model-policy revisions guided many of the changes and that several provisions shift responsibilities to state entities. Board action on the athletics policy drew the sole recorded dissent: Policy 4.301 passed with five votes in favor and one dissent by board member Chris Akin, as recorded during the meeting. All other policy motions were approved by unanimous vote as noted in the minutes.

Why it matters: the combined amendments change how the district handles charter applications, virtual instruction, reporting of student screening data, emergency drill expectations, and library exclusions, and they reflect statutory changes that affect district procedures and reporting obligations.

The board approved the amendments on the recommendation of Director Watkins; the minutes record each motion as “MOTION CARRIED” except where a dissent was noted. The minutes do not specify effective dates for each policy change beyond stating the amendments were approved at the Aug. 4 meeting.

The board’s actions do not, in the minutes, include implementation timelines or administrative guidance beyond the policy language; the director and staff will be responsible for implementing and communicating the operational details to schools and employees.