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Sarasota schools propose stricter vaping penalties, technology and threat-management updates in code of conduct
Summary
District attorneys and administrators described refinements to the student code of conduct including a tightened vaping protocol (reducing progressive steps and adding intervention agreements), clarified incident-reporting aligned with Florida Department of Education codes, updates to technology-use language, and expanded threat-management and de-escalation training.
Dr. Kirk Hutchinson and Dr. Clayton led a workshop presentation on proposed refinements to the district’s student code of conduct, emphasizing consistency, early detection of repetitive behavior, and clearer implementation steps for administrators.
Dr. Clayton said the board proposal collapses the vaping progression from four events to two, adds a vaping intervention agreement signed with parents and students, and allows for privilege removals (extracurriculars, hall pass restrictions and, where appropriate, parking-pass removal) to address school culture impacts. "We collapsed it from 4 occurrences down to 2," she said, describing student task-force input that asked for earlier, clearer responses.
Presenters also described updates aligned with the Florida Department of Education’s incident-reporting codes to reduce local inconsistencies, added language on evolving classroom technology (smartwatches, smart glasses and other recording/augmenting devices) and included explicit consequences for circumventing open-gate weapons-detection procedures at middle and high schools. The code will also incorporate a clarified threat-management pathway that allows administrators to require parent interviews and, when risk is suspected, require parents to retrieve students rather than allowing bus dismissal.
To support implementation, the district will deploy professional learning resources (voice-over presentations and summer trainings) and a rollout of mindset verbal de-escalation training for every staff member before the first student day; specialized staff will receive two-day Professional Crisis Management (PCM) training. Staff said they will continue student and community engagement, including follow-up meetings with the anti-vaping task force and student participants.
Next steps: staff said the board will be asked to approve advertisement of the revised code of conduct on June 16; state statute requires a 28-day advertisement period, with final board approval expected at the July 21 meeting.
