Emporia Board unanimously approves multiple handbooks, emergency plan updates and strategic plan measures

The Emporia Board of Education on July 23, 2025, unanimously approved multiple handbook and operational updates intended to prepare the district for the 2025–26 school year.

The board voted 7-0 to approve licensed staff handbooks for preschool, elementary, Emporia Middle School, Emporia High School and the Flint Hills Learning Center for 2025–26. The board separately approved updates to the athletic and activities handbook for 2025–26, classified substitute and administrator handbooks for 2025–26, and district emergency operations plan updates for 2025–26. The board also approved updated strategic plan measures, 7-0.

The licensed staff handbook changes, presented by Director of Human Resources Dr. Erica Mickelson, reflected alignment with current board policy and mainly date and language updates from the first reading earlier in the summer. “We brought it for the first read. So, on the most of them, it is it was all about, making sure that we are current with board policy,” Dr. Mickelson said.

Emporia High School athletic director and assistant principal Bo Welch described the primary substantive change in the athletic handbook: a clarified approach to dual-sport participation. Welch said the update aims to balance encouragement for students to play multiple sports with practical concerns about coaches’ ability to allocate playing time if athletes regularly miss team practices. “When you start talking about a dual sport of, you know, an athlete maybe, you know, just just picking 1 at random, let's say baseball. Let's say they wanna do baseball and track… if you are missing baseball practice 3 or 4 days a week, that's putting the coach in a really tough spot,” Welch said. He added that dual-sport situations are rare, “probably, this past year, I think we had 2, I think, total, whole year. And, I would say we have 2 or less usually each year.”

Board members indicated the emergency operations plan updates reflected new calendar dates and changes recommended by state preparedness guidance; no substantive operational changes were detailed during the vote. The strategic plan measures vote followed a second reading and the board approved language updating baseline data and reporting timelines; the superintendent’s office said some metrics remain snapshots to be measured after the first day of school.

Several items presented as first reads were not approved at this meeting. The student handbook changes, which include an added AI policy excerpt and dress-code adjustments, were presented for first reading because a related board policy on hairstyles still requires board action before the handbook is finalized.

Votes at a glance: - Adopt agenda — Motion: “I move to adopt the agenda.” Outcome: approved 7-0. - Approve consent agenda — Motion: “I move to approve the consent agenda as submitted.” Outcome: approved 7-0. - Licensed staff handbooks (preschool, elementary, Emporia Middle School, Emporia High School, Flint Hills Learning Center) — Motion: approval as submitted (second reading). Outcome: approved 7-0. - Athletic and activities handbook 2025–26 — Motion: approval as submitted (second reading). Outcome: approved 7-0. - Classified substitute and administrator handbooks 2025–26 — Motion: approval as submitted (second reading). Outcome: approved 7-0. - Emergency operations plan updates 2025–26 — Motion: approval as submitted (second reading). Outcome: approved 7-0. - Updated strategic plan measures — Motion: “I move to approve the updated strategic plan measures as submitted.” Outcome: approved 7-0.

What happened next: Board and district staff said several first-read items will return to a future meeting for a second reading or additional attorney review; the district outlined start-of-school orientation dates and the first day of school schedule during the superintendent’s report.

Local context: The approvals set policy and operational baselines ahead of the 2025–26 school year, affecting staff expectations, extracurricular eligibility and safety planning districtwide.