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Lee County board previews handbook changes: AI guidance, tougher penalties for tobacco transfer and excessive‑force incidents
Summary
The Lee County Board of Education released 30‑day first reads of student handbooks that add a dedicated section on artificial intelligence use, tighten semester‑exam exemptions and reclassify tobacco and fighting offenses to allow stronger administrative consequences; final approval is slated for the June meeting.
The Lee County Board of Education on April 20 released proposed 2026–27 student handbook and code of conduct updates for a 30‑day public review.
Kevin Galling, executive director of school safety and discipline, said the district added a new, explicit section on artificial intelligence to clarify expectations for student use on school projects: “we wanted to put in an entire section on that,” Galling said. The changes also update attendance procedures to reflect recent compulsory‑attendance law changes referenced in the meeting as “SB120 23.”
The revisions tighten several disciplinary classifications. Tobacco offenses will be split so instances of sharing or distributing tobacco products are elevated from a Level 2 to a Level 3 offense, giving administrators broader disciplinary options for students who distribute tobacco or vaping products to others. The code also adds a defined category for “fighting — excessive force,” which the district said is intended to cover rare but serious incidents that go beyond a scuffle and may result in greater penalties and administrator intervention.
Galling said principals or the administrator on the scene would make determinations about whether conduct meets the threshold for excessive force. “The principal would be the final say in that case,” he said, while noting the policy includes indicators intended to narrow subjective interpretation.
At the high school level, the board heard proposed adjustments to semester‑exam exemption criteria intended to add rigor, updates to school counseling descriptions, and changes to electronic‑device consequences. District staff noted state law moving toward a K–12 restriction on cell phones beginning in fall 2027; until then schools are phasing in stronger consequences rather than fines.
The district will post the draft handbooks for 30 days and accept public feedback. Final approval of the handbooks is scheduled for the June Board of Education meeting.
