Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board discusses student handbook, cellphone rules and juvenile interrogation policy; staff to review changes
Summary
Board members debated removing a sentence permitting teacher/principal permission for instructional cellphone use and raised concerns about juvenile interrogations referenced in policy 6.303; staff were asked to research policy changes ahead of kindergarten registration in March.
Board members discussed revisions to the student handbook and two discipline-related board policies during the consent-agenda discussion at the Tipton County Board of Education meeting.
Board member Ms. Eubanks asked to pull the 2025-26 student handbook from the consent agenda to consider removing a sentence under multimedia-device rules that allows students to use personal devices for instructional purposes with teacher or principal permission. Board members and staff noted that district-issued Chromebooks and adopted textbooks already provide instructional tools for most students, and they asked administration to consult teachers and attorneys about language changes. Staff said the handbook is posted online and that board policy revisions supersede handbook language; kindergarten online registration scheduled for March creates a time constraint for any edits.
Separately, board members raised legal and procedural concerns about policy 6.303, the section governing interrogations and searches. Speakers noted the policy references TCA 49-6-4203 and allows police-initiated interrogations at the administration’s request with the principal present. Several members expressed concern that principals acting in loco parentis may not be able to explain Miranda or other rights to juveniles, and they asked staff to consult legal counsel and possibly bring the item to a future work session for closer review.
The board directed staff to research proposed handbook wording, consult teachers and attorneys on cellphone verbiage, and bring policy 6.303 back for more detailed review at a work session. The meeting proceeded after the board voted to approve the consent agenda with the handbook item temporarily pulled.
Ending: Administration said it would pursue a policy review and provide recommendations before the board’s next meeting to allow online kindergarten registration to proceed while preserving the option to amend handbook language.
