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Board reviews multiple policy updates and code of conduct revisions at workshop
Summary
A workshop covered several policy updates recommended by NEFEC and staff, a new dropout-prevention policy, athletics and high-school equivalency rules, and a substantial review of the student code of conduct including dress code and AI guidance.
The Citrus County School Board conducted a policy workshop examining multiple policy updates and a broad review of the student code of conduct.
Staff presented several recommended policy edits from NEFEC and district teams: updates to policy 9.3 (Community Use of Facilities), policy 2.24 (Collective Bargaining, adding exemptions and a statutory citation), a new policy 4.16 (Dropout Prevention Program, required by statute), policy 5.8 (Athletics, clarifying concussion, sudden cardiac arrest and heat-illness information), and policy 5.77 (High School Equivalency Program and Examination). The human-resources team proposed repealing and replacing policy 6.37 (Suspension and Dismissal) with a rewritten policy titled "Employee Discipline, Suspension and Dismissal," incorporating progressive-discipline language and statutory references.
A prominent portion of the workshop examined the student code of conduct. Staff walked the board through edits suggested by the committee, including updates for health-related medication procedures, specialized medical equipment timelines, health screening wording, and academic integrity sections addressing artificial intelligence. The committee recommended language permitting AI tools only when explicitly authorized by the teacher or allowed by assignment guidelines; the draft policy would permit AI for research or brainstorming when approved but prohibit using AI to generate answers to assignments unless authorized.
Dress code revisions provoked extended discussion: the committee proposed removing specific clothing examples (for instance, the term "leggings") and relying on terms such as "distracting," keeping prohibitions on too-tight or too-loose clothing and established mid-thigh length measures. Board members and staff discussed enforcement challenges, consistency across campuses and the administrative burden on principals. Staff said the district will pilot a discipline matrix in procedure before incorporating any matrix language into policy.
Medical/medication provisions: committee members recommended clarifying that certain medications and specialized equipment require documentation; health services staff asked the board to confirm whether a pharmacy prescription bottle should be acceptable documentation or whether a provider-signed form is needed. Legal and health-staff follow-up was requested to ensure compliance with Department of Health and current clinic procedures.
Next steps: staff will clean up wording, correct platform references (BoardDocs → Diligent), reconcile document formatting issues noted during the workshop, and circulate revised drafts. Several items were described as statutorily required and scheduled for formal adoption in a future meeting. The board did not vote on the policy changes during the workshop; presenters asked for time to refine language and return with final drafts.
