Board places PRESS 118 policy revisions on first reading, committee asks legal review of DEI language

The Arlington Heights District 25 policy committee presented 26 policy updates and two exhibits from the PRESS 118 (IASB model policy) updates and moved them to the board—s first reading on July 15. The committee said many of the updates were a five-year review or were required by a reversion of Title IX to 2020 regulations and the Ensuring Success in School (ESS) law effective July 1, 2020. Committee chairs also said artificial intelligence tools informed some revisions and an added definition of "sexting" was included to address harms from technology and explicit deepfakes. The committee unanimously forwarded 25 policies and the two exhibits to first reading; one policy, 1:32 (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), was also moved to first reading but the committee requested additional information for legal review to confirm that revised language would not conflict with existing laws. The district—s attorney reviewed the suggested language and told the committee there were no concerns with the proposed revisions. The policies will return to the board at a second reading in August; the committee and staff asked board members to review the full documents posted online and to bring questions prior to the second reading. No formal votes on the substance of the policies were taken at the first reading.