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Board debates tougher vaping penalties, reviews bus conduct rules and several policy revisions
Summary
Trustees considered tougher penalties for vaping and nicotine possession, adoption of a recodified school‑bus conduct policy, and first‑reading updates tied to Read to Succeed and state testing rules during the May 20 Lexington One board meeting.
Lexington County School District One trustees on May 20 reviewed multiple policy changes affecting student conduct, testing and student safety. The meeting combined first readings, public explanation and several final votes.
Tobacco and vaping discipline
The administration proposed revising the discipline ladder for possession or use of tobacco and vaping devices in schools. Under the recommended change, a first offense would result in one day of out‑of‑school suspension plus an online tobacco‑cessation course; a second offence would draw two days out‑of‑school suspension and a parental/approved-program intervention (for example, LAREDAC or another approved course); a third offense would remain a recommendation for expulsion and an expulsion hearing.
“We're really trying to do with this is we're trying to just deter students from having them at school altogether to hopefully avoid those types of situations,” one administrator said during the discussion, describing the administration’s objective to prevent vaping incidents that sometimes involve THC and lead to more serious disciplinary action.
Board members debated the change’s educational effect. Several trustees said they were concerned that out‑of‑school suspension can be perceived by students as a reward (time away from classes) and suggested an in‑school suspension or other supervised consequence for a first offense. Administrators said out‑of‑school suspension removes the student from an environment where others may be exposed and noted that schools already suspend students for confirmed THC vaping under other disciplinary rules. The board did not adopt the proposed tobacco discipline ladder on May 20; the proposal remains under consideration after the first‑reading discussion.
Bus conduct policy and student handbooks
The district also presented a recodified model policy for student conduct on school buses and an updated, shorter list of bus rules. The updated rules condense a prior administrative rule into a clearer list (from about 40 rules to a shorter set of behaviors) and move enforcement into the school‑discipline matrix to treat the bus as an extension of the classroom. The intention is to reduce the antiquated “bus point” system and to emphasize earlier corrective steps (warnings, lunch or after‑school detention) before suspending bus riding privileges.
“We want the behavior corrected before there has to be a removal from the bus and maybe that child doesn't have a ride to school for five days or for ten days,” the operations director said, describing the tiered approach.
Testing and Read to Succeed–related policies
Several policies tied to the Read to Succeed law and testing expectations received first reading or explanation, including policy IKE (promotion and credit standards), IHC(A) (promotion/retention and summer reading camp for third grade), ILB/ILB‑R (testing procedures and universal screening), and the state assessment policy (which clarifies test names such as SC Ready and end‑of‑course assessments). Administrators explained that third graders must have guided exposure to online testing platforms to prevent unfamiliarity from harming test results.
Adopted policies
The board voted to approve policy IJOA and IJOA‑R (field studies and international travel) and policy ECAA (threat assessment) by voice vote at the meeting. Other proposed changes remain at first reading or are being refined after trustee feedback.
Next steps
Administration will refine the tobacco‑discipline language in response to board concerns (in‑school versus out‑of‑school suspension) and finalize the bus‑rules wording for the student handbook. The board asked staff to consider implementation logistics (including who monitors in‑school suspension) and equitable enforcement across schools.
Ending
Trustees said they want to balance disciplinary clarity and student safety with instructional continuity; administrators were directed to return with revised language and operational details at a future meeting.
