Pasco school board reviews broad revisions to student code of conduct, directs staff to clarify procedures for attendance, late work and bus discipline

Robin Hawk, a representative of the Student Support Programs and Services Division of Pasco County Schools, presented a draft of proposed revisions to the student code of conduct for the 2025–26 school year, telling the board the review was conducted under Florida Statutes section 1006.07(2) and through five work sessions this year.

Hawk said the draft makes mostly editorial and organizational changes but also adds and clarifies several substantive items, including a separate “minor infractions” section, moving PBIS (preventive behavioral supports) language to the front of the document, changing the term “offense” to “infraction,” and relocating protective language for students with disabilities to the top of the disciplinary section. “We are trying to become a much more family friendly, staff friendly document,” Hawk said.

The board and staff spent most of the workshop discussing three recurring concerns: how schools will treat makeup and late work after absences; how detention, in-school suspension (ISS) and out-of-school suspension (OSS) are defined and distinguished; and progressive discipline for bus misconduct.

On makeup and late work, board members pressed for clearer parent-facing guidance rather than a simple reference to School Board Policy 54.21 (the district grading policy). One board member said the policy reference should be removed from the draft because parents are…