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Board adopts updated student code of conduct, tightens fight penalties and clarifies device rules
Summary
The board approved revisions to the student code of conduct that raise penalties for on-campus fighting (longer alternative placements), bar students in alternative placement from extracurricular participation, add school buses and personal vehicles to covered locations, and keep the existing cell-phone limits in place.
The Natchitoches Parish School Board approved revisions to the district student code of conduct, including stricter consequences for fighting, expanded coverage to buses and vehicles, and clarifications about electronic devices.
Under the adopted changes, behavior categorized as fighting will trigger a checklist-based determination; if two or more checklist items apply, a student may be recommended for expulsion. The board also increased lengths of alternative placement: for grades 6–12 the first fighting incident carries 90 days in alternative placement and the second carries 180 days (a semester). Students assigned to alternative placement are barred from participating in school activities at their home school and other district schools during that assignment.
The update adds school buses and students’ vehicles on school property to the locations where the code applies, and the code retains the district’s existing cell-phone restrictions (phones must be off and stowed during instructional time) while recognizing limited access for necessary communications (for example, contacting parents about after-school transportation). The board also approved school-specific uniform colors for certain grades at the junior high and said staff will update page numbers and names in the handbook to reflect a recently approved school name change.
Board members discussed family engagement and referral options for students with behavioral and mental-health needs; staff said the district provides intake planning, social-emotional curriculum during alternative placement and referral lists for community counseling resources, and that the district is exploring ways to strengthen family supports and potential court-based interventions (FINS) if funding and judicial partnerships permit. The board adopted the handbook updates by roll-call vote.
