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Board hears attendance and conduct changes; cell‑phone policy on buses draws debate
Summary
Staff presented end‑of‑year attendance and behavior data and proposed revisions to the student code of conduct — including new language to reflect state cell‑phone rules and removal of attendance waivers. Board members debated whether the cellphone restriction should apply to school buses; staff said the governor's executive order leaves local discretion.
The Gloucester County School Board on Aug. 12 reviewed attendance and behavior outcomes and a set of proposed changes to the student code of conduct that administrators said are intended to reduce punitive approaches and improve family communication.
Ms. Keener presented comparative attendance and incident data, explaining how the division calculated "recovered attendance" under VDOE guidance (in‑person flexible instructional hours provided outside the regular day, where three hours equate to one instructional day regained). She described quarterly MTSS reviews, PBIS teams, and targeted interventions for chronic absenteeism and said the division will continue mandatory notification steps required by the Code of Virginia (5‑day and 6‑day letters and 10‑day referral to the truancy officer); she added that the division clarified the 15‑day drop rule (students absent 15 consecutive days are removed from rolls per state code).
In the proposed student code of conduct, staff incorporated the new state law on electronic devices and proposed referencing the school board policy on cell‑phone use (an "off and away all day" approach). Keener noted the code would move away from attendance waivers and toward family engagement to prevent absences and added state‑recommended disciplinary levels and charts for administrative response.
Board members raised questions about whether the cellphone restriction should apply to school buses. One member argued buses should be excluded because parents often need to contact arriving students; other board members and staff said the governor's executive order does not mandate inclusion of buses and that surrounding localities typically exclude buses. The superintendent said staff could revise the policy to exclude bus arrival/departure communications if that is the will of the board and bring cleaned language back for the next meeting.
The board approved the policy package as a first read, with staff asked to examine language around buses and return with recommended wording for second reading if necessary.
