The school board approved the 2025–26 student code of conduct after discussion on changes required by recent state law and district clarifications. Board members voted 4–0 to adopt the policy during the meeting's action items.

District staff said the updated code incorporates state reporting and statutory changes and clarifies local procedures. “They've added it to the list of things we have to report for unsafe schools,” said Wes Jackson, director of school policy and student support, referring to added bullying reporting. Jackson described checklists and a “bullying packet” the district uses to investigate and code incidents.

Why it matters: the revisions change how the district handles several common disciplinary issues and align local documents to recent state legislation, affecting administrators, teachers, students and families.

The adopted code requires designation of “one campus behavior coordinator” on most campuses, typically an assistant principal, to oversee compliance with Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code and to notify threat-assessment teams when appropriate, Jackson said.

The code explicitly makes antisemitic harassment a code violation and expands language to bar derogatory slurs of any kind. Jackson said the district added the language after recent legislative changes that prompted updates across districts.

On cell phones, district staff discussed changes tied to state law. “House Bill 1481 said that we have to tell kids they can't have their phones anymore,” Jackson said, summarizing the law's effect on local policy. Under the adopted rules, phones must be turned off and kept out of sight—inside backpacks, laptop bags or other approved storage—during the school day. Staff described a progressive consequence schedule: an initial warning, a second offense resulting in the phone being taken to the assistant principal's office with pickup at the end of the day, a third offense requiring a parent to retrieve the device, and further offenses moving to in-school suspension (ISS) or disciplinary alternative placements (DAP) depending on circumstances and timing.

Jackson said principals may designate local storage locations and that the district intentionally left flexibility for how the policy will be implemented at different campuses and programs such as ACE, which staff said is not technically part of the regular school day and may allow limited exceptions for arranging rides.

The code also addresses artificial intelligence and electronics tampering, with staff citing incidents such as students tampering with device USB ports. Jackson said such actions are dangerous and may result in disciplinary placement.

Vaping and e‑cigarette rules changed: Jackson said state changes now make nicotine vapes subject to a minimum 10‑day ISS in some circumstances. The code keeps mandatory DAP placement for selling or supplying an e‑cigarette to another student; possession or use can carry ISS or other placements depending on facts. Jackson noted the district previously used district office discretion to place some students in ISS rather than DAP but said the new language will be somewhat stricter.

The board discussed teacher removal and suspensions. Jackson said teachers now have clearer statutory authority to remove disruptive students “after being disruptive just one time,” and the code clarifies procedures and circumstances for allowing a student to return after a teacher requests removal. The district also updated language governing ISS, noting the law permits ISS placements up to 10 days with principal review every 10 days and possibly beyond with continuing review.

The board approved the student code of conduct by motion; the roll call recorded the motion carrying 4–0. District staff said virtual expulsion options exist in statute but are not feasible for the district due to local arrangements and cost.

The discussion preceding the vote included questions about where vaping occurs; staff said vaping is more common in high school but “we see a fair amount at the middle school,” and that multiple students are often cited from use of a single device. The code and its consequences will take effect for the coming school year, and staff said campuses will distribute parent-facing materials and visuals to explain the new rules.

The meeting then moved on to other agenda items.