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School board approves series of policies, MOUs and purchases; AI policy set for public hearing
Summary
At its March 2025 meeting the Leon County School Board approved multiple district policies, memoranda of understanding for employee benefits, several construction and procurement items and adjustments to calendars; the board also voted to advertise an artificial intelligence policy and an academic honesty policy for public hearings on May 13.
The Leon County School Board on March 25 approved a range of routine and negotiated items including new remote‑work policies, multiple memoranda of understanding with employee associations, several construction procurements and calendar adjustments, and voted to advertise two new district policies for public hearings on May 13, 2025.
The board unanimously approved three remote work policies — Policy 1500, Policy 3500 and Policy 4500 — that the superintendent recommended be effective March 26, 2025. The board also voted to advertise Policy 7.540.08 (Artificial Intelligence) and Policy 5505 (Academic Honesty) for public hearing and adoption on May 13, 2025. "The purpose of our AI policy is to lay out what the acceptable uses will be for our school district, employees, students alike, assuring that we have data privacy guardrails in place and assuring that our policy is going to focus on the fact that we're going to use a closed system," said Mister Blessing, who summarized the draft AI policy for the board. He explained a closed system "uses a document for the purpose that you asked it to and then it forgets it."
On personnel and benefit matters the board approved a series of negotiated memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with employee associations that the superintendent presented: an EDEP assistant manager pay grade MOU, an employee family coverage MOU, a sick‑leave buyback MOU, a paid parental leave trial MOU, and an employee childcare assistance MOU. Superintendent Hannah and labor negotiators described the measures as trial provisions or extensions of previously bargained agreements; for example, the paid parental leave item was described as a five‑day trial to measure participation and cost.
Facilities and procurement actions approved on the consent agenda included awarding a purchase order to North Florida Asphalt Inc. for Buck Lake Elementary School parking improvements (Invitation to Bid 2448‑2025), issuance of a purchase order to Southland Row Roofing Inc. for an athletics maintenance building reroof project (ITB 2443‑2025), and renewal of a continuing contract for CSI Contracting Inc. for construction management consulting tied to an ongoing Godby High School project. The board also approved the district's tentative five‑year facilities work plan submittal to the Florida Department of Education.
The board amended school calendars to add possible hazardous‑weather makeup days for the second semester and shifted the senior last day by one school day. Several consent items and budgetary verifications (including the Florida inventory of school houses certification) were approved without discussion.
Votes at a glance - New remote work policies (1500, 3500, 4500): approved (effective 03/26/2025). Motion and second on the record; passed unanimously. - Policy 7.540.08 (AI): approval to advertise for public hearing and adoption 05/13/2025. Motion and second; passed unanimously. Presenter: Mister Blessing. - Policy 5505 (Academic Honesty): approval to advertise for public hearing and adoption 05/13/2025. Motion and second; passed unanimously. Presenter: Mister Blessing. - IB Bonus Program (RFA 205A363): motion to approve; passed unanimously. - MOUs (EDEP assistant manager pay grade; employee family coverage; sick‑leave buyback; paid parental leave trial; employee childcare assistance): motions and seconds recorded; all passed unanimously. Presenters: superintendent team and labor negotiators (Mr. Shively). These were described as temporary/trial or extensions of previously bargained terms. - Capital/facilities procurements (Buck Lake parking PO to North Florida Asphalt Inc.; Godby millwork/CSI contract renewal; athletics maintenance building reroof to Southland Row Roofing Inc.; others): motions and seconds recorded; all passed unanimously. - Tentative 5‑year facilities work plan submission to FDOE: motion and second; passed unanimously. - Calendar revisions to include hazardous weather makeup days and one additional senior day: motion and second; passed unanimously.
What the board recorded on the public record Board members and district staff repeatedly described corrective action plans and next steps where audits or project follow‑ups were noted (see separate article on the audit report). Several items were described as already discussed at previous workshops or bargaining sessions. Where the board approved advertising policies for public hearing, staff said administrative procedures would be developed before final adoption.
Ending Most items were carried on the consent calendar or passed unanimously after brief staff presentations. Two policy items — AI and academic honesty — were set to return for public hearings and final board action on May 13, 2025, giving the public and staff additional time to review administrative procedures the district plans to develop.
