The Henderson County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a package of policy updates on a single reading that the district said are required by changes enacted in the most recent state legislative session and by model policies from the Tennessee School Boards Association.

Board members adopted updates that the district said implement a state law requiring schools to report certain disruptive incidents to parents within 48 hours if the incidents were also reported to law enforcement; to incorporate a definition of antisemitism consistent with a presidential executive order; and to update rules governing remote instruction, virtual-school student athletic participation, library material handling, wireless communication devices, student records requests, searches and related procedural clarifications.

The changes were presented by the director's office, which told the board the policies reflect the 114th Tennessee General Assembly’s actions and model language recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association. The director said some new requirements only mandate reporting, while others require local policy changes — for example, updated language to report a total number of incidents to the board at one meeting and an annual total at year end. The director also noted that the state added a requirement to report to parents about disruptive incidents within 48 hours when the incident was reported to a law-enforcement agency.

Board members also approved revisions dealing with virtual-school students’ eligibility to try out for school athletic teams in the attendance zone where those students are enrolled, clarifications on when wireless communication devices may be used in class (including provisions for assistive devices tied to individualized plans), and updated procedures for obtaining student records that require schools to request and receive certain records within five days after the district requests them.

Other technical changes adopted include raising the federal-disposal threshold for surplus property reporting (the presenter said the threshold was raised to $10,000 for certain federal-dollar items), updates to personnel policy language following changes to diversity, equity and inclusion guidance, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) implementation details the district must follow. The director described adjustments to substitute-teacher timelines to address staffing shortages and said some search-and-questioning policies were retitled and rewritten for clarity.

The board approved the policy package with a motion to waive a second reading because the revised policies take effect before the next meeting: the motion was moved and seconded and passed on a roll-call vote in favor by all seven board members.

The director said many changes are administrative or reporting in nature; she urged members to contact district staff with questions about implementation. She also noted that some items adopted reflect federal or state mandates and do not require further local action beyond updating policy language.

Board members were told the district will publish the updated policies and implement administrative procedures as required by the changes.