Levy board reviews student code changes, tightens cell‑phone enforcement and clarifies masks, fees and weapons policy

Levy County School Board members and staff reviewed proposed revisions to the district’s student code of conduct at a workshop, focusing primarily on cell‑phone enforcement, face‑paint and mask limits, handling of students using state scholarship funds in extracurriculars, artificial intelligence guidance, and how pepper spray is classified.

The discussion matters because the board’s code sets the districtwide expectations administrators must apply every day; members emphasized clearer language, more consistent enforcement by school staff, and an administrative training plan before the first day of classes.

Board member Mister Mott opened the discussion by stressing timing and distribution: “it needs to be in their hand,” referring to having the code ready and printed for students. Staff and board members then walked through specific page edits and policy additions.

Key changes and rationale

- Cell phones and progressive discipline: The draft reiterates a restriction on wireless communication devices during school hours and spells out progressive consequences for repeated violations, including possible alternative placement or expulsion for future offenses. Board members discussed a five‑strike threshold as a practical benchmark mentioned during the workshop and debated enforcement consistency across schools. Several trustees urged training for administrators and a parent communication campaign; one trustee estimated heavy enforcement could produce many expulsions (a speaker suggested “about 50 expulsions per semester” as a possible outcome if strict enforcement were applied).

- Confiscation, custody and liability: Trustees raised concerns about phones confiscated by school staff going missing and about who would bear responsibility for lost items; the board directed staff to clarify procedures for custody and handling of confiscated devices.

- Face paint and masks: The proposed language disallows face paint and masks except when approved by school administration for school activities. Members recommended changing the slash to an "or" ("mask or face paint are not permitted") and adding an explicit medical exception: "This provision does not apply to masks worn for medical purposes."

- Extracurricular fees and scholarship‑funded students: The draft adds language to allow the district to recoup costs for extracurricular participation by students whose schooling is funded by state scholarships (referenced generically in the workshop as Step Up for Students and related scholarship programs). Staff explained that when scholarship funds are placed in accounts and paid directly to schools or providers, districts may be able to charge for activities and classes to recover costs for facilities, officials, equipment and supervision. Board members asked staff (including Mr. Bennett, who was identified as more familiar with scholarship rules) to confirm statutory limits and practical implementation before finalizing wording.

- Testing and device use: The draft expands the list of tests that may be invalidated (state, national, district, industry certifications) and clarifies that device‑related invalidation can carry disciplinary consequences; language was added to allow escalations for serious first‑time offenses and to make disciplinary ranges clearer.

- Artificial intelligence and responsible use: The code cross‑references the district’s existing board policy on artificial intelligence (an "ETEC model" policy noted as adopted in 2024) and adds responsible‑use language to give administrators a basis for addressing AI‑related academic integrity issues.

- Pepper spray and weapons classification: The draft distinguishes contraband pepper spray from weapon‑grade agents, noting a numeric threshold (0.18) discussed at the workshop; items below that threshold would generally be handled as contraband (similar to a pocket knife) unless brandished or used to threaten others, in which case typical weapon consequences could apply.

Implementation steps and next actions

Board members directed staff to refine verbiage and return a final draft for printing and distribution to students and families before the school year. Trustees repeatedly called for administrator training and parent outreach (including use of the district’s ParentSquare platform for electronic acknowledgement/signatures). No formal vote on the code occurred at the workshop; the session was used to gather input and instruct staff to make the changes discussed.

Concerns and dissent

Several members and public commenters urged consistent application of the policy across campuses, calling out past inconsistency in enforcement and asking the district to avoid creating widely varying practices (for example, some schools reportedly enforce phone rules strictly while others do not). A parent who identified herself as both a teacher and a parent, Marissa, warned that if the code is explicit yet not followed at the school level, the district must correct that: “if we come to the district office and we’re told there’s no policy on that, and there is, it’s in the student code of conduct, then everybody needs to know what that is and where it should fall,” she said.

What the board did and did not do

The board did not take a formal vote at the workshop. The explicit direction was to revise wording (add the medical‑mask exception; clarify device confiscation custody and progressive discipline steps; confirm scholarship‑funding limits for fees; finalize pepper‑spray language; cross‑link AI and responsible‑use policy) and to present a print‑ready code for distribution. Staff were also asked to plan administrator training and parent communications before the school year starts.

Next steps and timeline

Board members said they expect staff to return with the revised text and final directory/contact updates before sending the code to the printers; staff noted some directory items remained to be updated at the time of the workshop. The board emphasized the importance of communicating the final code to parents and staff at open house and via ParentSquare prior to the first day of school.

Sources

Details in this article come from statements at the Levy County School Board workshop and public comment during that meeting; no formal vote was recorded in the transcript.