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Board adopts revised student handbook; changes emphasize restorative practices and updated communications
Summary
The board adopted a revised student handbook that updates emergency communications, advisory scheduling, truancy language to emphasize restorative practices and clarifies cell-phone and locker rules; the motion to adopt passed by voice vote.
The school board voted to adopt an updated student handbook that administrators presented as a page-by-page summary of changes. Key revisions include clarified emergency-communication instructions (use ParentSquare and do not return to school grounds during a true emergency), a change to advisory scheduling (advisory will meet for at least one 40-minute period weekly), and revised attendance/truancy language that emphasizes restorative practices and opportunities for students to recoup missed academic work.
Administrators also updated language on electronic-communication and the new cell-phone law, shifted locker assignment to request-based assignments instead of automatic assignment, and added links to board policy for families seeking more detail. A contentious line about addressing lunch balances at graduation was discussed at length; board members said the handbook language should not be applied punitively and administrators confirmed their intent is to encourage families to resolve balances rather than to withhold diplomas.
"We do contact them periodically if their balance gets to be a little out of control," an administrator said; the board agreed the practice behind the policy should be compassionate and not punitive.
A motion to adopt the student handbook as revised was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. Administrators said the summary-of-changes document will help families find updates and that handbook links will be made available online.
