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Board adopts handbooks and approves annual Section 500 policy revisions tied to new state laws
Summary
Trustees approved preschool-through-high-school handbooks for 2025-26 and adopted revisions to Section 500 policies; administrators outlined state-driven requirements for cell-phone, dress-code, behavior-intervention and parental-access policies.
At its June 9 meeting the Bennington Public Schools Board of Education approved the preschool, elementary, middle-school and high-school handbooks for the 2025-26 school year and approved revisions to Section 500 of district policies following the recent legislative session.
The board—s annual policy review followed a summary by administration of several state requirements that will need local policy language. Administrators explained a new state requirement that each district adopt a cell-phone policy (referenced as policy 504112) that establishes a baseline of prohibiting phones on school grounds and offers options for limited allowance at certain grade levels; officials said the district—s current practice (no phones K—18 and restricted during instructional time at the high school) aligns with the new law.
Other items included required dress-code language to prevent discriminatory practices, behavior-intervention policies (statutory/regulatory references discussed) and new parental-involvement provisions that provide parents additional access and parameters for reviewing curriculum and library materials (policy 1005.13 was cited). Administration said most of the requirements formalize practices the district already follows but will now be codified in policy.
Board members moved, seconded and approved the handbooks and the Section 500 policy revisions by roll-call vote. Administrators said additional cleanup language from the Nebraska Association of School Boards (NASB) may be forthcoming and that a second reading of some policy text will occur at a later meeting after NASB edits are incorporated.
What happens next: Staff will post the approved handbooks for the 25-26 year and work with NASB to finalize statutory cleanup language; policies affected by state law will be updated and returned for any required second readings.
