Pittsburgh Public Schools committee accepts minor code-of-conduct edits, keeps citation moratorium

Pittsburgh Public Schools policy committee members reviewed and accepted recommended revisions to the district—s Student Support and Positive School Culture Guide and the K2D5 and 62D12 student code of conduct guides during a May 14 policy workshop. Staff said the revisions are largely technical or implementation-focused and will be forwarded to the board—s agenda-review meeting on June 18 and the legislative meeting on June 25 for final action ahead of the 20252D26 school year.

The revisions include an updated Title IX contact and new explanatory language and examples to help families understand Title IX reporting and process, minor technology-name updates (for example, references to Twitter updated to X and Musical.ly updated to TikTok), added contact information for student-bullying compliance, a continuing moratorium on the issuance of summary citations for PPS students, and clarifications on attendance, truancy filings and dress-code protections.

Elizabeth Sadler, an attorney with WPBK Legal who led the workshop presentation, said stakeholders supplied most of the recommended language. "There was no feedback from any of the stakeholders on the infractions as it related to the infractions themselves," Sadler said, describing the K2D5 and 62D12 infraction guides as having had substantial edits in prior years and only minimal changes for 20252D26 this cycle.

Why it matters: the updates are timed to the district—s annual review and carry operational implications for school staff, families and students. Among the most consequential items discussed was the policy language about summary citations and how, and whether, the district files truancy cases.

What the committee accepted

- Title IX and nondiscrimination: The policy text was revised to list the district—s Title IX compliance officer as Dr. Kimberly Crews and to correct the contact information, and the committee accepted additional explanatory language and a reporting-flow chart submitted by Dr. Crews to clarify steps after a Title IX report. Those additions will appear in the nondiscrimination section of the Student Support and Positive School Culture Guide.

- Bullying and compliance contacts: The district added a student-services email address under the compliance office for bullying and harassment reports and updated technology platform names (Twitter to X; Musical.ly to TikTok).

- Moratorium on summary citations: The draft removes an earlier expiration date and instead states the moratorium "remains in effect." Sadler said the change reflects committee and administration agreement to leave the moratorium in place until the board or administration decides otherwise. "The moratorium remains in effect," Sadler said.

- Attendance and truancy: The revisions add that a principal may use "their discretion" to excuse a student temporarily for urgent reasons. The policy also clarifies how the district will file truancy referrals: for students age 15 or older, PPS may file against either the parent or the student but not both; for students under age 15, PPS may file only against the parent. The draft does not prescribe a single default filer; staff said decisions will be case-by-case.

Director Dean Walker pressed for administrative safeguards to limit unequal application of truancy filings, citing concern about racial disparities in discipline. "How do we ensure that kind of that racial or implicit bias doesn't impact black students negatively, more negatively than it would any other?" Walker asked. Staff responded that the operational direction could be refined in administrative regulations and that the committee could examine implementation earlier next year.

- Dress code and CROWN protections: The committee approved language adding hair coverings and related items (headbands, head wraps, bonnets, barrettes and beads) to the dress-code protections, citing the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County CROWN Act requests. The draft also adds a sentence clarifying that students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney2DVento Act will be assisted in obtaining school uniforms when schools use uniforms.

- Expulsions and waivers: The draft removes a reference to the Student Achievement Center as the only location for educational services for students excluded from school and adds an explicit requirement that a parent presented with the option to waive a formal expulsion hearing must be provided the waiver in writing before accepting it. Ms. Golden, a district administrator, confirmed the practice is already occurring: "That's correct. We just wanna make sure parents understand, and that that information is in writing."

Discussion and next steps

Board member Jean Walker raised concerns that the code of conduct still does not make clear how the district will protect instructional time when lower2Dlevel infractions recur. "It focuses on the discipline ... it does not account for how do we support the students who are losing education because these level 1 infractions don't actually have any bite to them," Walker said. Committee members and staff suggested strengthening administrative regulations and implementation procedures, including earlier engagement next year to explore escalation steps and supports (referrals to in2Dschool services, school-based mental health, or specialized placements such as Clayton Academy for students who meet placement criteria).

Staff and the policy committee agreed the proposed text will be posted for community review and that the infractions guides would be published on the district website for 30 days. The committee will forward the reviewed policy package to the district—s agenda-review meeting on June 18 and to the legislative meeting on June 25 for board action so any approved changes take effect before the 20252D26 school year.

Ending note

Committee members described the current review as largely maintenance work after significant edits in prior years, with several operational items (administrative regulations, implementation training and further discussion about citation practices) flagged for follow-up.