Osceola school officials preview wide-ranging code of conduct revisions; public review set before July 15 vote

District staff on Tuesday presented proposed revisions to Osceola County’s student code of conduct, previewing changes on discipline, athletics eligibility, electronic-device rules and procedures for students with Individualized Education Programs and Section 504 plans and saying the full red-line draft will be posted for public comment before a July 15 school board vote.

The presentation, led by Dr. Barrow, covered a PowerPoint of the major changes and a longer red-line document the district will post publicly. "Because the red line is over 80 pages, we're gonna focus on the PowerPoint," Barrow said, adding that the red-line file contains detailed language and that not all changes appear on the slide deck.

District staff said the revisions align code language with statute and school-board policy, and that the code will automatically be updated if state law or board policy changes after approval. "We presented the final red line and draft at the July 15 board meeting," Barrow said; if the board approves the revisions, the district said they would take effect July 16.

Why it matters: The changes affect discipline procedures that touch large student groups — including how schools handle alleged off-campus felonies, the use of reasonable force by staff, electronic-device enforcement, athletic eligibility for transfers, and procedural protections for students with disabilities.

Staff summarized community input gathered on the district’s ThoughtExchange platform: 565 participants submitted 84 thoughts and cast 6,930 ratings about ways to improve the code. "The majority of the comments were code of conduct needs to be enforced," Dr. Rhonda McMahon said, and parents sought more consistent consequences across schools.

On athletics, staff said exceptions to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s typical eligibility rules will be clarified in the code. The examples listed in the presentation include children of active-duty military, students moved because of foster care placement, moves ordered by a court, and in-district good-cause or reassignment. Barrow said principals from both sending and receiving schools provide input on transfer requests and that the district athletic director and other staff review those cases.

Electronic-device rules were tightened in the draft: staff said device violations now appear across levels 1–4 of the discipline matrix, and the district removed the term "misuse" where it created confusion. The presentation also noted a pending bill in the Legislature that could further change state rules on students’ use of devices; staff said the code includes a clause allowing automatic updates to match statute, with notice to families.

Staff said the district revised language on off-campus felony charges to mirror statute, adding a requirement that an off-campus felony must have an "adverse impact on the educational program, discipline, or welfare of the school" to trigger certain discipline pathways. Under the draft, a student alleged to have committed an off-campus felony could be suspended up to 10 days; if the court process is still unresolved after 10 days, the student could be placed in New Beginnings until a court decision is reached.

The draft sets specific consequences and alternatives for first-time alcohol and drug offenses: first-time alcohol offenders would be referred to the AWARE program and face up to three days of out-of-school suspension; failure to complete AWARE could result in an expulsion recommendation. The district said AWARE and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office "Jump" program are listed in an appendix to clarify those interventions.

Staff also streamlined special-education language to clarify cumulative suspension limits. The draft reiterates that students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are limited to 10 cumulative suspension days in a school year except in very rare circumstances; Section 504 students are likewise limited to 10 days but may be subject to a manifestation-determination process that can allow longer removals if the conduct is not a manifestation of the disability.

To aid school nurses and staff, the draft adds a health-room report and an "under the influence" checklist in an appendix so documented symptoms (for example, dilated eyes or vomiting) are recorded alongside existing procedures; staff said the checklist is already approved by health services and human resources.

Staff described procedural changes for expulsion and administrative hearings: the code would separate the discipline determination (whether an offense is a level 4) from the manifestation determination and streamline those meetings so families and school teams can address both matters together. Barrow said the change aims to improve efficiency while preserving required procedural safeguards. "If the behavior is determined to be a manifestation, the student's placement would not change," she said.

District staff said the red-line draft and supporting documents will be posted on the district and student-services websites in English, Spanish and Portuguese before the July 15 board meeting and that parents receive a notice in the beginning-of-year packet; paper copies are available on request. Staff also said administrators will receive training on the revised code at summer administrative institutes and as needed during the year.

Questions from board members focused on where parents can find the guidelines and the provenance of athletic "good cause" guidelines; staff said those guidelines are included in the athletic handbook used by athletic directors and are generated from athletic-director meetings and practice. "They currently reside in the athletic handbook that athletic directors receive," Barrow said, and staff offered to provide the specific email and guidelines used for transfer requests.

Next steps noted by staff: post the red-line draft for public comment, solicit additional feedback, present the code for approval at the July 15 board meeting and, if approved, implement training and updates to the internal discipline manual.

No formal board action was taken during the workshop; staff described a plan to return the finalized draft to the board for a vote on July 15.