Hernando board reviews 2025–26 student progression plan updates, debates Val/Sal disqualification language

Hernando County Schools staff presented proposed revisions to the 2025–26 Student Pupil Progression Plan on a workshop agenda item, outlining changes to placement, attendance and graduation‑related language and seeking the board’s tentative approval.

The packet of edits includes specific placement guidance (kindergarten and first‑grade placement based on transcripts or academic history; absent records, placement by age), clarified attendance and tardy thresholds for extracurricular eligibility, new language tying habitual truancy to state public‑assistance consequences, a requirement that returning home‑education students enroll full time by Oct. 1 of their final academic year to be eligible for a district diploma, and updates to dual‑enrollment and CTE provisions.

John Morris, director of secondary programs, summarized the changes and told the board the written edits would be cleaned up in a final draft. He said placement language for early grades will be “based on transcripts and or their academic history. Absent academic records, students will be placed age appropriately.” Morris also described attendance thresholds for extracurricular eligibility: secondary students “must not have more than nine unexcused absences per semester in each class period or more than four for schools on a block schedule” and added that elementary students should not be disciplined with in‑school or out‑of‑school suspension for excessive tardies caused by parents’ transportation problems.

The draft adds a limit for excused short‑term attendance issues at the secondary level: parents or guardians may excuse up to five combined late arrivals and/or early dismissals per semester for verified reasons (medical, etc.). Staff said bus delays would not count against a student.

Morris said the plan cites a state statute (statute number not specified in the presentation) that allows the Department of Children and Families to limit temporary cash assistance if a dependent child accumulates 15 unexcused absences within 90 calendar days; that language was added to underscore consequences for chronic truancy.

The draft also addresses students returning from home education. Morris said the district added a requirement that home‑education students transferring into Hernando County Schools must be enrolled as full‑time students by Oct. 1 of their final academic year and must pass the required state tests to receive a Hernando County Schools diploma. The district’s draft differs from neighboring Pasco County’s rule, which requires at least six credits earned in district schools; Hernando staff proposed “full time” (typically six to seven periods depending on the high school).

Other academic changes in the plan include: - Removing a phrasing error and confirming social studies must be listed with language arts, science and mathematics for elementary curriculum descriptions. - Increasing the criterion for academic acceleration in grades K–5 from “one or more years above grade level” to “two or more years above grade level.” - Updating dual‑enrollment references and articulation agreements with PHSC and "Wilton Simpson Technical College" (as written in the packet). - Incorporating SB 850 language that allows level‑3 CTE industry certification courses in registered career academies to carry an added 0.5 GPA value. - Clarifying that End‑of‑Course (EOC) exams count as 30% of a course grade but that district administrators have the ability to waive that 30% when it would cause a student to fail the course. - Adding requirements that 504 plans be reviewed annually in the student information system, and clarifying world language credit pathways from middle school to high school.

A substantive portion of the discussion focused on proposed language that would remove honors designations or limit graduation participation for students who commit serious conduct infractions or are arrested for felonies that “pose a safety concern.” The draft uses the phrasing “may prohibit a student from participating in a graduation ceremony” for both top‑10/valedictorian/salutatorian notices and for general participation language.

Board members debated whether the phrase should read “may” (leaving discretion to administrators) or “shall” (making disqualification mandatory for named infractions). Staff explained the committee had left the phrasing discretionary to allow administrators to weigh context (for example, a student who commits an infraction early in the year and rehabilitates later). Several board members argued for discretion so administrators who work directly with students can make case‑by‑case decisions; others favored stricter, mandatory language for valedictorian/salutatorian designations to preserve the honors’ integrity. No formal motion or vote on the exact wording occurred during the workshop.

Board members also asked about code‑of‑conduct mechanics: skipping (leaving class without permission) remains in the student code of conduct and carries a defined consequence matrix, and more serious infractions (leaving campus, etc.) can trigger higher‑level consequences. Morris noted that skipping is covered by the code and that consequences are tiered there.

Other procedural items included a request from some schools to increase optional activity fees (art supplies and a proposed $45 driver’s‑education fee if the district restarts a drivers‑education program), and an addition to the health‑services section clarifying that non‑FDA‑approved over‑the‑counter remedies will not be administered by school personnel unless specific conditions are met and documented in the clinic manual.

Morris closed by saying the changes were the product of committee work and teacher feedback and that a clean draft would be circulated. The board did not adopt final language at the workshop; staff remained to follow up on requested clarifications.

Ending: The board moved on after the presentation; staff will return a cleaned, final draft for the board’s consideration and any formal action at a future meeting.