Governing Board approves revisions to 2025-26 Family Student Handbook

The Paradise Valley Unified School District Governing Board approved revisions to the 2025-26 Family Student Handbook after a reading and presentation by Dr. Chris Osmason. The revised handbook incorporates board suggestions from the May 15 meeting, legal counsel input and committee review.

Why it matters: The handbook establishes district expectations for attendance, safety, behavior, technology use and other everyday operational policies; changes affect families, students and staff districtwide.

Key revisions described by Osmason and staff include: - Attendance: language defining regular attendance in section 1 was rewritten for clarity as requested by the Board. - Bullying/Harassment: added language to encourage students to address bullying only if they feel safe doing so and clarified response expectations. - Release/Guardianship language: legal counsel refined language concerning court orders and pickup restrictions, adding consideration for parenting plans and sole decision-making orders. - E-bikes/e-scooters: the handbook text on personal mobility devices was updated to align with the City of Phoenix code revision (March 2025) that sets the legal age to operate certain e-bikes/e-scooters at 16. - Digital tools: clarified that “Chat” under Digital Citizenship refers to Google Chat. - Athletics: clarified that the district’s concerns in the Athletic Participation section apply to all students, not only student-athletes.

Osmason said the committee approved the revisions on May 22, the district will run a final proofreading pass for formatting and grammar, add the superintendent’s letter, and produce a Spanish translation. Both English and Spanish versions will be uploaded to the district website.

The board moved to approve the handbook revisions; the motion carried unanimously.

The vote: Motion to approve the revisions to the Family Student Handbook for 2025-26 as presented — motion passed unanimously.