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Board hears sweeping policy updates aligned with state law and VSBA recommendations
Summary
District staff reviewed a large package of policy changes from the Virginia School Boards Association and state law, flagged several policies for first/second reading (including student health and safety, substitute-teacher limits, opioid antagonist policies, and advanced-math placement), and said those would be reposted for community comment.
Norfolk staff reviewed a broad set of policy edits and additions at the Aug. 6 work session that largely align district policies with changes in state law and Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) model language. Dr. Pohl presented the package and explained which policies will go forward for first and second readings and further community review.
Major items in the package include updates to DJF (procurement/contract language and felonies/crimes of moral turpitude references), EB series changes around athletic emergency and cardiac response plans, a new EBBC policy on opioid antagonists (including a regulation on maintenance, training and administration), and GCE/GCB/GCPD revisions that affect substitute teachers and employee protections. The GCE changes restore the state'allowed substitute assignment limit to 90 days (down from a temporary 180'day allowance used during pandemic staffing shortages); if a longer assignment is needed, the district must seek state board approval. A newly required policy IGBJ maps state rules for placement of students into advanced mathematics in grades 5— based on SOL quartile results.
Staff said the new opioid antagonist policy (EBBC) includes arrangements for community-provided antagonists at no cost for the year and associated training to protect employees who might administer the drug (GCPD). Several student-safety policies (JFCD, JHC, JHCD, JJAC) were revised to reflect legal changes on weapons, diabetes medication, telehealth access and concussion return-to-learn/play procedures.
Procedure notes: policy changes originate from VSBA model language and state legal updates; after first and second reading at the board work sessions, policies will be posted for public comment and not scheduled for the consent agenda until after the second reading. Staff will send all-staff and all-parent notices when items go for first/second reading, and principals will be notified following board adoption.
What's next: staff asked the board to expect repostings of specified policies for first and second reading in September; the policies flagged for that timeline include EB, EBBA, EBBC, EBCE, GBN, GCDA, GCE, GCPD, IGAG, IGBJ, JFCD, JHCD, JJAC, JRCA and related regulations. The superintendent also said he would pull policy JO for additional review before it is posted to the board for a vote.
