Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Discipline And Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gatesville ISD updates student code of conduct to reflect recent state law; board also adopts several TASB-recommended policy changes
Summary
The board approved a districtwide student code of conduct incorporating recent legislative changes (including reinstated ISS limits removal, vaping and AI-related academic-dishonesty language) and consented to four TASB-recommended local policy updates covering cell-phone rules, homeschool references and library-materials review.
Unidentified Speaker 7 summarized statutory changes that required updates to the district's single, districtwide student code of conduct and recommended the board approve the revised document. Speaker 7 highlighted three primary changes: the reinstatement of in-school suspension (ISS) without the previous three-day limit imposed by the last legislative session; more detailed cell-phone and telecommunications language as required by policy; and expanded, tiered consequences for vaping and nicotine offenses.
Trustees asked whether medical or special-education accommodations allow a student to have a device; Speaker 7 replied that an approved 504 plan or an IEP permits device access for medical reasons and that nurses and staff rely on some newer medical technologies. On artificial intelligence, Speaker 7 said the legislature had added AI-related language to the model guidance and the district added explanatory AI language to the student handbook: cheating with AI falls under academic-dishonesty rules and may result in consequences including ISS or disciplinary alternatives.
On library materials, Speaker 5 described a new EFB Local requirement that librarians submit book lists for board review; the district plans to present large lists to trustees rather than bring single titles for approval, and described an existing challenge-and-review process for contested titles. Trustees discussed how to balance professional librarianship with community concerns.
The board moved and approved the student code of conduct as presented, and also approved four TASB-recommended policy updates (FNCE, FD/FBL, EFB and FM) to meet start-of-school statutory requirements.
What changed: - Student code of conduct approved: adds reinstated ISS authority (no explicit per-student day cap in new law), updated cell-phone allowances with 504/IEP exceptions, tiered vaping consequences, and AI-related academic-dishonesty language. - Four TASB-recommended local policy updates adopted (FNCE/FNCE local cell phone policy; FD and FBL related to homeschool referencing; EFB library-materials procedures; FM attendance/extracurricular adjustments).
The changes will be part of the student handbook materials that the board will review at the next meeting.
