Board approves policy updates to align with federal grant rules and tobacco‑free standards; public hearing set

The Indian River County School Board on March 10 approved a package of policy revisions and set the item for a public hearing to adopt the changes. The revisions update district policy language to align with federal grant-management requirements under EDGAR (Education Department General Administrative Regulations) and to clarify tobacco‑free campus enforcement for students and visitors.

Staff explained the EDGAR-driven changes cover a broad array of administrative processes tied to federal grants, including conflict‑of‑interest rules, listing school‑board members as agents/officers of the board, fraud and whistleblower protections, internal controls, cash management, procurement procedures, travel and expenses, property records and disposition of federally purchased equipment. "Those revisions, affect a lot of policies around how we manage everything we purchase and use and discard that have been bought with federal dollars through those grants," a district staff member said.

The tobacco‑free updates add specific disciplinary language for student violations and lay out the visitor enforcement process: a warning followed by principal or supervisor action for repeat noncompliance, rather than a general statement that the code of conduct will be followed.

Staff also recommended rescinding policy 6671 (District Foundation) because the district in 2023 adopted a related direct‑support organization policy (policy 9215) that supersedes it. The board voted 5‑0 to approve the revisions and set a public hearing for formal adoption.

No ordinance or new funding was enacted at the meeting; the action moves policy changes to the public‑hearing stage for final adoption.