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Board adopts updated student handbooks with new bell times, cell‑phone rules and bus discipline
Summary
The Lake County Schools board approved revised student handbooks that change bell times and breakfast windows, add ESL and transfer procedures, tighten bus discipline rules, add clear‑backpack and badge requirements at one campus, and establish cell‑phone green/red zones in classrooms.
The Lake County Schools board approved a set of updated student handbooks that make several operational and disciplinary changes across the district’s schools.
Motion and vote: Board member Jimmy Hill moved to approve the student handbooks; the motion was seconded by Jody and carried by roll call vote.
Key changes include adjusted arrival and bell times, clarified breakfast and supervision windows, and the addition of an English‑learner (ESL) section and homeschool transfer procedures. At the high school, the daily schedule was adjusted so breakfast runs from 7:30 to 8:00 and instructional time begins at 8:00; students are expected to be in school by 7:50 when instruction starts.
The handbooks add a bus‑infraction section with specific offenses (for example throwing objects on or from the bus, standing while the bus is in motion) and associated consequences, reinforcing that riding the bus is a privilege. Grading changes were included to reflect Career and Technical Education (CTE) project weighting—projects will account for a higher percentage of course grades in some classes—and final‑exam exemption criteria were expanded to include a third pathway: a C average with no absences.
Disciplinary and safety updates include a behavior matrix, alternative‑school placement options to limit out‑of‑school suspensions, and clarifications that backpacks must be clear at one elementary campus. The handbooks also describe a cell‑phone policy that establishes classroom “red zones” (phones stored in classroom pockets) and “green zones” where phones may be used. Badge identification and metal‑detector locations at one campus were noted as implemented measures.
Board members asked whether the handbook language conforms with recent state limits on cell phones in schools; staff replied the handbook aligns with state requirements and local practice. School leaders said the revisions reflect input from principals, bus drivers and teachers and aim for consistent, age‑appropriate expectations across campuses.
Ending
Staff will distribute the approved handbooks to families and implement the schedule and safety procedures at the start of the school year; principals will provide parents with specific arrival and supervision times for each building.
