Union County policy committee forwards multiple policy revisions to full board; flags high-school activity implementation issue

The Union County Public Schools policy committee on Jan. 21, 2025, voted to forward several revised policies to the full board for action at the board’s February meeting and moved a second set of policies through first review, while committee members flagged implementation challenges for a newly expanded state physical-activity requirement for high-school students and discussed school safety coordination with local law enforcement.

The committee approved a motion to send the following policies (second review) to the Feb. 18, 2025, board meeting for approval: Policy 1-18 (Grievances, Complaints and Appeals); Policy 2-02 (Budget Development, Planning and Adoption by Resolution); Policy 2-18 (Organization of the Purchasing Function); Policy 2-21 (Continuing Contracts); Policy 3-05A (Use of Tobacco Products); Policy 5-12 (Student Promotion and Accountability); and a proposed new policy on webpage development intended to address website accessibility requirements. Committee members then voted to forward these items to the full board by voice vote.

The committee also moved four items for first review at the February board meeting: administrative guidelines to Policy 2-25 (Sales Representatives); Policy 4-03 (Prohibition of Gang and Gang Activities); Policy 4-11 (Student Wellness); and Policy 4-22 (Student Health Services). Staff described the first-review revisions as part of the regular policy review cycle and asked that the items proceed to the board for further consideration.

On stakeholder input, Attorney Brenda Morris said there has been none since the committee and board reviewed these policies in November and December. "No one has reached out, communicated phone, email at board of education meetings. There's been silence," Morris said, explaining staff had received no written or spoken comments to date.

Discussion highlights

Student wellness and physical activity: Committee members pressed staff about a change tied to State Board of Education action that expands the district’s healthy-active-child expectations into high school. The draft language cited a requirement that students in high-school grades be provided a set amount of physical activity; a committee member read the draft line as requiring 60 minutes of physical activity, which staff and members interpreted as 60 minutes per week (about 12 minutes per day). District staff said meeting that requirement under existing four-block high-school schedules will be difficult without additional resources.

Wendy Nielsen, director of school nursing, took the proposed revisions to the district’s Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) for review, and staff reported SHAC was "comfortable with the revisions" before the committee considered them. Staff said they are working with high-school principals to explore scheduling solutions; one administrator suggested the committee consider placing the issue on the district’s legislative agenda and presenting the concern to the district’s legislative delegation if state clarification or statutory change becomes necessary.

School safety and gangs: In discussing Policy 4-03, Attorney Morris and other staff described ongoing coordination between district staff and local law enforcement. "I know that Mr. McGraw works very closely with the sheriff's department, Monroe PD, as well as law enforcement . . . like Waxhaw, Stallings, to ensure that we have the most up to date information on the gangs that are in our community," Morris said. She added that district staff and the safety committee also discuss gang-related incidents and that staff attempt to avoid placing known rival gang members together in alternative-school settings to reduce conflict risk.

Sales representatives and website access: The administrative guideline to Policy 2-25 clarifies a state statute that limits sales to staff during instructional time and is intended to clarify expectations for vendor interactions on campuses. The proposed webpage development policy is intended to set internal protocols, including website accessibility requirements.

What passed and next steps

By voice vote the committee approved motions to forward the second-review policies to the full board for approval and to send the first-review policies for first reading at the Feb. 18 board meeting. The committee chair announced the next policy committee meeting will be Feb. 18, 2025, at 8 a.m., also virtual.

The meeting record shows committee members asked staff to continue work on implementing the high-school physical-activity requirement and to discuss legislative options if state policy remains unchanged. Staff will present the listed policies to the full board on Feb. 18, 2025.