The Cheshire School District board moved a package of policy updates to a third reading after a staff presentation and brief discussion.

District staff said the package includes revisions to nondiscrimination and harassment rules, procedures for criminal background checks and fingerprinting, social networking guidance for staff, a change in the FAFSA-completion date, and updates tied to alternative education requirements. The board voted to send the policies to the full board for a third reading at the next business meeting.

The district presenter said attorneys reviewed the nondiscrimination and harassment policies so the two documents now "act in concert" and were consolidated where appropriate. The presenter read a provision from the social-networking regulation that says, "If the board or superintendent believes that a staff member's activity on any social network…violates the district's policies, the board or superintendent may request that the employee cease such activity," and added that disciplinary action "depends on the severity of the incident."

On the fingerprinting and criminal-records regulation, staff described detailed training and handling rules. They said some staff completed FBI- and state-police–provided training about who gets access to criminal records checks, how those checks are stored, and how records must be destroyed, noting guidelines such as overwriting electronic files and following specific storage and destruction protocols. The presenter said the regulation is "cumbersome" because it outlines storage, access and destruction requirements and references both law-enforcement best practices and statutory references.

Staff also noted a change to the district's FAFSA requirement: the graduating class year referenced in the policy was changed from "25" to "27," meaning the graduating class of 2027 will be affected by the completion requirement as reflected in the draft policy language presented. Staff linked that requirement to state-level statutory implementation and funding flows that can affect federal reimbursement streams to districts.

Votes at a glance

- Policies moved to third reading (motion passed): 0521 (Nondiscrimination); 4000.1 / 42100.1 / 5145.44 (Harassment / Title IX); 4112.5 / 4212.5 (Security / Fingerprinting / Criminal history checks); 4118.51 (Rights, Responsibilities, Social Networking); 6148 (FAFSA completion); 6172 (Alternative education program). Outcome listed in meeting minutes: moved to the board for third reading / advanced to the next business meeting for formal vote.

Next steps — staff said a consolidated packet and links to the district website (for complaint filing and required training materials) will be updated and distributed before the full-board vote. The presenter said attorney Floyd had reviewed social-networking language and that policy implementation will rely in part on administrative discretion tied to severity and legal standards.

The board placed the policies on the agenda for the full board's third reading and vote at the next business meeting.