The Orange County Schools Policy Committee on Dec. 19 voted by consensus to send a slate of policy revisions and housekeeping changes to the full school board for first reading, while recommending that several NCSBA-drafted items not be adopted and asking staff for further drafting on technical cybersecurity provisions.

The committee’s actions covered policies across student health, nutrition, contracting and technology. Speaker 2 led much of the review and told the committee that the medication policy (6125) had been substantially edited with input from local reviewers and the North Carolina School Boards Association: "...it's been through Neil's looked at it as well and the NCSBA..." The committee voted to move 6125 to the full board for first reading by consensus.

Why it matters: the policy changes affect day-to-day operations—how medication is administered in schools, what foods may be sold or served during the school day, how board members may use personal social media with district materials, and how the district documents contracting and financial controls for board oversight.

School meals and fundraising came into focus. Staff said 6220 has been revised to reflect USDA smart snacks nutrition standards and to avoid referencing policies the district is not adopting wholesale. "All fundraising activities involve the sale of food or beverages to students during the school day must comply with the federal smart snack standards," Speaker 2 said, citing language under consideration. Committee members raised practical concerns about timing (before vs. after lunch), school-level fundraising traditions such as Ag Day, and how principals should be briefed to align practice with the federal rules. The committee moved 6220 to first reading and asked staff to work with principals on operational guidance.

On social media and board members’ personal accounts, Speaker 2 summarized advice from the school board association and a proposed revision that would allow board members to "share otherwise reproduced official school system or school information or announcements with the public" while protecting the district’s brand and legal interests; the committee agreed to forward the revised language to the full board for first reading.

Several NCSBA-drafted policies were recommended for non-adoption because staff said the topics are already covered in the district’s current manual. For example, staff recommended not adopting the minority-business participation draft (6402) and remote-access guidance (6404) because those subjects are covered by existing policy 9125 and technology policies; the committee voted to notify the full board of those recommendations.

Technical and procedural points: the committee edited language in 6421 (pre-audit/disbursement) to avoid imposing requirements the district cannot meet in practice (for example, printed checks lacking the exact certificate language) and agreed to adopt the phrasing "as required by law" where appropriate. For continuing contracts and debt reporting, members agreed to replace a strict "quarterly" reporting cadence with a flexible "periodically report to the board" formulation to preserve oversight while avoiding rigid deadlines.

Network security and storage requirements in draft 65.24 generated the strongest technical pushback. Speaker 1 said social engineering and phishing are a larger, more immediate threat than traditional "malware" and asked for clearer guidance on cloud and district-approved storage practices. Staff recommended keeping detailed technical controls in procedures or an addendum rather than in high-level board policy; the committee asked staff to redraft the network-security section and return it for further discussion.

Votes at a glance: agenda adopted (voice vote—approved); meeting minutes approved (voice vote—approved); policy 6125 (medication) moved to first reading (consensus); policy 6220 (school meals) moved to first reading (consensus); several policies (including 6402, 6404, 6420, 6521, 6522, 654?—staff list) recommended not adopted and to be noted to the full board (consensus); 6421, 6410, 6430, 6510, 6550 and others moved to first reading with edits (consensus). Where the committee sought further work (65.24 network security), staff will revise and return.

What’s next: staff will incorporate the committee’s edits and the committee’s recommendations will appear on the full school board agenda for first reading or as notifications that a proposed NCSBA policy is not being adopted. Committee members also flagged a planned revision to policy 5120 for second reading at a later meeting.

The committee adjourned after a final voice vote. Speaker 1 closed the meeting with holiday wishes to members and staff.