Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Policy committee debates cyberbullying definition, Title IX interplay and off-campus 'nexus'
Loading...
Summary
Committee members discussed moving jurisdictional 'nexus' language into the bullying policy, adding a definition of cyberbullying (citing PA Act 26 of 2015), and reconciling local policy drafting with Title IX legal standards.
At its Feb. 10 meeting, the Radnor Township School Board Policy Committee discussed substantive changes to policy 249 (bullying) and policy 248 (harassment) to clarify how the district will address off-campus digital conduct and generative AI examples.
Chair Janie Lau and committee members debated whether the policy’s current administrative regulation (AR) language that establishes when the district has jurisdiction over off-campus conduct should be elevated into the policy to make that nexus clearer and more prominent. Committee members warned that moving detailed AR language into a board policy could expand administrative burden and urged careful drafting to avoid unintended responsibility for every off-campus incident.
Solicitor Mike Kristofko cautioned that the district’s ability to discipline off-campus conduct is governed by court standards, noting recent Supreme Court guidance and lower-court developments about when schools may regulate out-of-school student speech. He also explained Title IX’s narrower application: Title IX remedies apply to programs receiving federal funds and require conduct so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that access to the educational program is denied.
Chair Lau proposed adding a definition of cyberbullying drawn from Pennsylvania law (cited in discussion as Act 26 of 2015) and possibly referencing Act 125 and other state guidance; committee members asked legal staff to review sample language to ensure compliance. Several members favored keeping detailed, frequently changing examples in ARs while placing a clear statement in the policy that off-campus conduct may be subject to discipline when it materially and substantially disrupts school operations.
Members asked administration and counsel to research how peer districts handle nexus language and to prepare draft redlines for a future first read. The committee signaled support for definitions that are non-exhaustive and reviewed on a quicker cycle than typical three-year policy reviews to keep pace with technology.
