The school board voted unanimously to approve the 2025-26 student handbook and two revised local policies addressing personal electronic devices and instructional resources.

Board members approved the handbook and board policy updates after staff said the Texas Association of School Boards model handbook had been updated following recent legislation and the district had inserted local provisions. "TASB puts out the model student handbook. They try to incorporate all the new laws," a staff member said during the meeting.

The changes staff highlighted include a new state law that prohibits students from using cellphones on school grounds during the instructional day; the district will extend that ban to include lunchtime on campus. Staff said the district will continue to impound phones but may no longer charge a $15 retrieval fee. Procedural guidance being developed by high school administrators will allow parents or students to pick up a first-time impounded phone at the end of the day; repeated offenses will lead to longer impoundment and escalating discipline.

Board members also considered a state provision that allows formation of a committee to review and approve library and instructional materials. Staff recommended not forming such a committee now, citing the administrative burden of conducting public meetings to approve lists and the current absence of problems with library holdings. "I'm not recommending this at this time because that's gonna create an administrative burden," a staff member said.

A third change involves participation by homeschooled students in University Interscholastic League activities. Under the new state framework, districts that do not want homeschooled students to participate must opt out; staff said most nearby districts in the Panhandle are opting out and the district's current policy already reflects the district's approach.

At the meeting, a board member raised a separate technical issue about class rank wording on pages 40–41 of the presented handbook; staff agreed to correct that wording to match existing board policy before posting the handbook.

The board approved the student handbook and the local policies EFB (personal communication/electronic devices) and FNCE (instructional resources) as presented; votes on those items were recorded as 7-0.

The board also approved the 2025-26 employee handbook later in the meeting.

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The updates the board approved reflect recent state changes and local clarifications; staff will make the class-rank correction noted during the meeting before the handbook is posted.