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State law limits withholding high school diplomas for property damage; Arlington updates policy to comply
Summary
Board staff summarized House Bill 1536, which limits districts’ authority to withhold diplomas for student property damage, and described required reporting and policy adjustments the district will make.
District staff told the Arlington Public Schools board on June 9 that new state legislation (House Bill 1536) narrows the circumstances in which a school may withhold a student’s high school diploma for damage to district property and requires public reporting if a district withholds a diploma under limited circumstances.
Gina Zuvo, the district’s executive director of financial services, said the legislation "limits school district's authority to withhold the students' high school diplomas because the students lost or willfully damaged district property." She explained the law bars withholding except where damages exceed $1,000 and requires districts to release diplomas after five years or earlier if the amount owed falls below $1,000. The law also allows districts to accept community service with a monetary credit at minimum wage (state or local, whichever is greater) toward damages.
Zuvo told the board the district does not currently track many diploma‑withhold instances and that district policy language will be revised to align with the statute; she noted that any instance of withholding a diploma under the new statute must be reported on the district website and captured in required data reporting. Board members asked how often the district has withheld diplomas; staff said they are not aware of recent local cases.
The board received the briefing as information; staff said they will return with proposed policy language revisions to conform with state law.
