Topeka board member moves to postpone policy vote after union and community concerns; motion later withdrawn

A member of the Topeka Board of Education moved to delay a vote on proposed policy changes after public commenters and board members flagged ambiguous or potentially punitive language in the draft rules.

Mrs. Schmidt moved that the Board of Education of USD 501 postpone a vote on the proposed policy changes until the board's next meeting, which was identified in discussion as Jan. 8, 2026, to allow time to review recent stakeholder feedback. Dr. Beeson seconded the motion. Board members and members of the public then discussed specific wording concerns, including whether terms such as “false” should require proof before discipline is considered.

Gary J. Livingston, president of NEA Topeka, told the board the union reviewed the proposed policy changes and asked the board to delay votes on items that remain ambiguous or overly broad so that scenarios that could be interpreted multiple ways can be fixed before adoption. “If these rules are ambiguous, unclear, or in places overly broad, we are not beginning from a good starting point,” Livingston said.

Community speaker Justin Cobb singled out language in regulation 2935-03, noting a conflict between a line that lists disciplinary consequences and another passage that says the language is intended as guidelines. “That seems a little bit conflicting,” Cobb said, asking whether the guideline language was meant to be disciplinary.

During discussion, Mrs. Boulley and Mr. Tatum urged additional review time; Tatum said the board might need more time than the proposed January meeting to complete due diligence. After the exchange, Mrs. Schmidt withdrew her postponement motion and the item remained on the agenda for future consideration.

The transcript records no formal vote on the policy changes at this meeting. Board members indicated the item will be re-presented and updated if changes are made; a specific date for reconsideration was not set on the record.