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Board approves 2025–26 calendar and new technology policies; appointment to building corporation
Summary
At its Jan. 28 meeting Elkhart Community Schools approved the 2025–26 school calendar and three technology policies covering student and staff use and a general AI authorization, accepted consent items including donations and retirements, and approved an appointment to the Elkhart Building Corporation.
Elkhart Community Schools’ board voted on a suite of administrative items during its Jan. 28 meeting, approving the 2025–26 school calendar, adopting policies governing technology and artificial intelligence use, accepting consent items and confirming a recommended appointment to the Elkhart Building Corporation.
Why it matters: Calendar and policy votes set the district’s instructional schedule and rules for staff and student use of district technology resources — including language addressing large language model artificial intelligence — and the building corporation appointment fills an organizational vacancy.
Key votes and outcomes - 2025–26 school calendar: The board approved the proposed 2025–26 calendar (motion and second recorded; vote carried unanimously). The calendar was presented for final consideration and passed without recorded dissent.
- Board Policy 7540.03 (Student Technology Acceptable Use and Safety): The board approved proposed revisions addressing district expectations for student use of technology and guidance on large language model AI. The motion carried; transcript states the item was continued to the next board meeting for additional processing.
- Board Policy 7540.06 (Staff Technology Use and Safety): The board approved a new policy governing staff use of district technology and staff use of large language model AI. The motion carried unanimously.
- Board Policy 7540.09 (General Authorization and Use of Artificial Intelligence): The board approved a new policy that provides general authorization and notes that inappropriate AI use could have disciplinary consequences. The motion carried unanimously.
- Consent items: The board approved consent items including donations totaling $2,250 (Beacon Health Systems donation of $1,500 and $750 in supplies from a community partner), and accepted retirements for two long‑serving teachers. The motion carried unanimously.
- Appointment recommendation: The administration recommended appointing former board member Jeffrey Bleiler to a vacancy on the Elkhart Building Corporation. The board approved the recommendation unanimously.
Context and next steps Administrators said Policy 7540.03 had been previously submitted and the student technology revisions will continue through the board’s procedural review at the next meeting. The calendar and policy votes align the district’s schedule and technology governance ahead of the 2025–26 school year.
What wasn’t recorded Where the transcript did not record a named mover/second or a numerical roll‑call tally, the minutes record the board’s procedural language (“motion and a second,” “all in favor,” “motion carries”); the transcript notes unanimous approval where indicated but does not list per‑member roll call tallies.
