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Board hears first reading of sweeping policy revisions, debates cell-phone rule for students
Summary
Superintendent and staff presented a broad policy update package at first reading, including changes to cell-phone rules, athletic participation for homeschooled and private-school students, nondiscrimination language, attendance, cybersecurity and credit-card payments. The board did not vote on the package at this meeting.
The Troy School District Board of Education received a first reading of multiple policy revisions affecting administration, staff and students, with staff recommending several technical and statutory updates and asking the board to consider final approval at a later meeting.
District staff reviewed a long list of proposed changes that will be returned for approval after public review. Key items discussed included revisions to nondiscrimination language aligned with federal reporting definitions, consolidated harassment and equal-employment language, updated cybersecurity language required by House Bill 96, and a new district policy authorizing credit-card payments for student fees and other charges.
A significant policy under discussion was the district’s personal communications device (cell phone) policy. Staff described shifting state guidance and a legislature-driven requirement to adopt a cell-phone policy; the Ohio Department of Education recently issued guidance that narrows the interpretation of the law’s reference to the “instructional day.” Building principals told the board that high-school and junior-high students have been allowed phone use at lunch without observable problems. Staff recommended keeping the current practice — allowing phones at lunch but restricting use during class — until state law or administrative guidance is clarified. The district also noted that for grades 6 and below, phones must remain in backpacks.
Athletics and extracurricular participation also drew attention. Staff explained recent statutory changes that affect when homeschooled students and students from other districts may participate in sports — for example, a cited allowance for participation when the sport is not offered in a student’s home district (a 20-mile rule was discussed by staff as an example). The proposed policy edits clarify participation limits for homeschooled students and explain access for students who live inside a district that provides a sport even if they attend private schools elsewhere.
Staff stressed these proposals were a first reading; several revisions reflect late-arriving statutory changes and guidance from NEOLA (the district’s policy vendor) and state education officials. The board did not vote on the packet at this meeting and will consider final approval next month.
