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School board reviews weapons and expulsion policy updates after 2024 state-law changes
Summary
District staff presented two policy updates for information: changes to the weapons policy to prevent enrolled students from using vehicle-storage exceptions under a new state law, and additions to expulsion notices to comply with South Carolina Code section 59-63-240, including parents' rights and access to investigative files.
A district staff member presented two policy updates to the Cresthill County School Board for information, saying the changes align district rules with new state law and model policy from the South Carolina School Boards Association.
The presenter said the first update, policy JICI (weapons in schools), changes language to reflect a fiscal-year 2024–25 appropriations proviso and the constitutional-carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2024 so that the exception that allows properly stored firearms in locked vehicles does not extend to enrolled students regardless of age. "So the proviso ... especially stipulates that the ability to possess a firearm on public school property is not extended to enrolled students," the staff member said.
The second update, under policy JKER (expulsion of students), adds required notice language called for by South Carolina law (identified in the presentation as section 59-63-240). The presenter described new parent-notification requirements: written notice of the time and place of hearings, the right to legal counsel, the right to question witnesses, and contact information for a legal aid service provider that may help determine eligibility for free legal representation. The presenter also said the notification must inform parents of their right to access the investigative file with "appropriate exemptions and redactions as required by FERPA." "So we're proposing this policy change, which essentially adds the language that the state law has," the presenter said.
A board member asked whether the "appropriate redactions and exclusions" language was primarily meant to protect other students and witnesses; the presenter confirmed that redactions are intended to protect privacy and safety. The presenter emphasized these updates were brought "for information" and that the district has worked with attorneys to revise expulsion notices since the law's effective date in May 2024.
No formal vote on either policy was recorded in the presentation segment; the board received the changes as information and staff said they would finalize wording in consultation with legal counsel.
The policies cited in the presentation and the staff explanation were described as aligning with model policy from the South Carolina School Boards Association and state statutory requirements.
