HIGHLANDS board reviews updates to 42 district policies including discipline notices, AED checks and an AI policy

The HIGHLANDS School Board met in a public workshop to review proposed updates to 42 district policies intended to bring board policy into alignment with recent changes in Florida law and with external guidance from NEOLA and the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Board Attorney Shannon Nash led the review and ran through policy changes by number, saying the updates mostly reflect statutory changes and clarifications. The session included brief technical corrections, two newly proposed policies and discussion on how the district will implement several procedural changes.

Why it matters: the package affects routine operations across the district — student discipline procedures, athletic requirements, procurement, grants accounting and emerging topics such as artificial intelligence. Several changes alter how the district communicates with parents and how staff maintain safety equipment, directly affecting students, families and school employees.

Key changes and discussion

- Scope and counts: Nash said there are 42 policies under review. The revisions range from minor citation and capitalization edits to substantive changes tied to statute or external rules.

- Student-discipline notification: Several policies (including 5610, 5623 and 5611 as reviewed) were revised to change how the district may deliver notice to a student’s parent or guardian in…