At a meeting of the Urbandale Community School Board (date not specified in the transcript), trustees spent substantial time discussing a proposed new district policy to clarify bullying, harassment and complaint procedures.

Unidentified Speaker 7 (Administrator) introduced proposed Policy 105 as a reorganization of parts of existing Policy 5.45, saying it would move appeal and complaint procedures into the 100 series and separate associated exhibits (complaint forms, witness forms and investigative procedures) so parents, staff and students can more easily find and use them. "This is all loaded into Simbly," the presenter said, pointing members to links and noting the district's intent to make resources easier for families to access.

Unidentified Speaker 19 (Staff member) explained the draft language was updated to align with recent legislative changes. "The biggest change was aligning the language to the legislative updates that took place this summer," the staff speaker said, adding that the law replaces older phrasing about "actual or perceived trait or characteristic" with wording focused on "targeted and repeated" conduct (the presenter referenced House File 865).

Board members pressed on operational details: how the district defines and enforces the statutory "repeated" threshold, how reporting establishes patterns of behavior, and whether restorative conversations are appropriate in bullying cases. A staff speaker said repetition may be established after as few as two incidents in practice and emphasized that restorative conferences are often not appropriate when there is a power imbalance; the district instead uses safety plans and other interventions.

Members also debated whether policy language should explicitly enumerate protected traits. Some trustees said keeping a list signals support for particular groups; others and district attorneys recommended broader, inclusive language so protections cover everyone. Unidentified Speaker 20 (Board member) said including certain language "may help reduce" how unsafe some students feel, while staff recommended following attorney guidance to write broader language that covers all students.

No formal vote was taken. Staff said they will draft Policy 105 and return it for board feedback and a first reading; the presenter said she planned to bring a draft to the board's Jan. 12 meeting and that the policy review is already overdue. The board asked staff to include clearer parent-facing resources and to return specific suggestions on engagement and reporting tools.

What happens next: staff will prepare a Policy 105 draft and related exhibits, and return to the board for discussion and subsequent readings before any adoption.

Sources: Transcript of Urbandale Community School Board meeting (segments through the policy discussion).