Prince William County School Board adopts revised student code of behavior adding VDOE SBAR codes

Prince William County School Board members voted unanimously Sept. 3 to adopt revisions to the division’s code of behavior that add Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) SBAR reporting codes and explicitly list persistently dangerous offenses and the range of disciplinary responses. The board approved the revisions by voice vote after a presentation from district staff and a brief board discussion.

The revisions, Superintendent Michal McDade told the board, “reflect updates specifically related to SBAR reporting codes,” and bring the VDOE-aligned codes into the publicly posted county code so parents and the public can see what disciplinary options administrators may use. McDade said the changes include a small number of typographical corrections and “make these codes transparent to parents and the public.”

Teresa Duvall, director of the Student Hearings Department, walked the board through technical corrections and omitted SBAR items that staff said had been covered previously but should be listed explicitly. She described the code’s purpose as clarifying expectations and minimizing exclusionary discipline by offering a range of responses: “It’s definitely for the expectations for our student behavior to be clear,” Duvall said. The revised chart adds specific level recommendations by grade band for offenses such as assault and battery, cyberbullying, arson, bomb threats and certain technology violations, and identifies which incidents require mandatory reporting to law enforcement.

Board members asked for clarity for families about how state reporting codes relate to building-level decisions. Vice Chair Tracy Blake praised the updates and moved adoption. Board members requested that staff provide an accessible link or companion definitions so parents can understand statutory and VDOE terms that determine whether an incident triggers a law-enforcement report.

The motion to approve the revisions was made by Vice Chair Blake and seconded by Board Member Laura Williams; the recorded vote was 8-0 in favor. The board approved a motion that the revisions take effect immediately so they apply as the school year begins.

The division emphasized the revisions are meant to make options and thresholds visible, not to remove administrative discretion. Staff said grade-band distinctions reflect VDOE guidance and that principals retain case-by-case discretion. Members who had opposed earlier drafts of the code said the latest version addressed several previous concerns by elevating penalties for specific offenses and clarifying when law-enforcement reporting is required.

The board directed staff to consider providing parent-facing definitions and links to the VDOE guidance and to the division’s policy so families can see how the codes are applied at the school level. Staff said they would explore adding those links to the online code and otherwise publish explanatory material.

What changed: among the substantive edits, the code adds SBAR entries that identify 16 “persistently dangerous” offense categories as VDOE level‑5 incidents that are reportable to law enforcement, adjusts level recommendations for assault and battery across grade bands, lists false alarms and bomb threats under the appropriate PD categories, and clarifies technology misuse categories and grade-band level recommendations. The division’s presentation said the revisions corrected previous omissions and made mandated reporting columns explicit.

Implementation: staff told the board the changes reflect VDOE reporting structures and do not change the underlying legal requirements; rather, they make the school division’s disciplinary framework more transparent. The board adopted the changes by motion and will publish the revised code on the division website.

— Reporting for this article is based on the board discussion and staff presentation during the Sept. 3 public meeting and the recorded board vote.