Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves 12 policy changes required by law; trustees ask superintendent to craft parishwide vaping rules
Summary
The board approved committee-recommended policy updates tied to recent legislation and heard requests to develop a consistent parishwide e-cigarette policy; members also debated homeschool-athlete eligibility and its budget implications.
The Acadia Parish School Board approved a package of 12 policy changes recommended by the Personnel, Insurance and Curriculum Committee that trustees said respond to recent legislative action.
Speaker 2 moved the committee recommendation to adopt changes to policies covering buildings and grounds, employee tobacco and marijuana use, home study programs, co-curricular activities, interscholastic athletics, truancy, discipline, suspension, expulsion and child-abuse reporting. The motion carried after a second and board vote.
During discussion, board members raised questions about e-cigarettes and vaping rules. "I would like for us to consider that to put on the agenda for discussion. I think we need to be consistent from school to school," said Speaker 7, urging the board to ask the superintendent to prepare a uniform parish policy. Speaker 9 said the superintendent could consult principals and present a proposal at a future meeting.
Trustees also debated eligibility for homeschooled students to participate in school athletics after concerns that students who train offsite and attend private coaching can gain competitive advantages. Speaker 3 said the legislature has imposed the rule, and Speaker 6 clarified that homeschool students must meet district GPA and participation requirements and are subject to the same disciplinary rules.
The board did not adopt a separate districtwide vaping policy during the meeting; members directed staff to gather input and return with an agenda item for committee discussion. The committee-recommended statutory policy updates were recorded as approved by the full board.
