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Board hears how new state education bills will change classroom rules, safety drills and staff social-media use
Summary
Board staff outlined several recently passed state laws — including a bell-to-bell personal device ban and limits on active-shooter simulations — and described steps the district will take on policy, communications and compliance ahead of July 1 implementation deadlines.
Mr. Reid, the district’s legislative liaison, briefed the board on multiple pieces of state legislation that the district must translate into policy and practice in the coming months. He said the most immediately consequential is House Bill 2299, which requires districts to prohibit staff from privately messaging students on social media and directs districts to adopt policies restricting student access to personal electronic communication devices during the school day. "The law prohibits students from accessing personal electronic communication devices bell to bell," Mr. Reid said, noting the district will need to adopt board policy prior to July 1 and create enforcement procedures and handbook language.
Why it matters: The measures will change how teachers and students use personal devices and how the district communicates with families. Mr. Reid said district communications already encourages staff to use approved district channels such as ParentSquare and that the district will run a staff-and-parent awareness campaign this summer.
Mr. Reid also summarized House Bill 2534, which differentiates drills from simulations: for K–5 students, only tabletop exercises are permitted; for grades 6–12, active-shooter drills are allowed but active-shooter simulations with student participants are prohibited in K–8 buildings. The bill requires 24-hour notice to parents and an opt-out process. "That prohibits active-shooter simulations with student participants," Mr. Reid said, adding KSDE guidance for districts is expected before October.
Other bills Mr. Reid reviewed included provisions folded into the budget bill (House Bill 2513) that reiterate attendance and truancy rules for student protests and bar staff from coercing students to walk out; Senate Bill 244, which requires designation of multiple-occupancy restrooms by biological sex and carries civil penalties for violations; Senate Bill 2485, affecting post‑secondary institutional agreements (with a grandfather clause); and House Bill 2320, which addresses foster-care placements and record transfers and requires a transportation plan for students placed unilaterally by foster agencies.
What the district will do next: Mr. Reid said staff will bring draft board policy on social-media communications and the PECD (personal electronic communication device) rules to the policy committee ahead of July 1, conduct audits and remedial signage work for restroom designations, and coordinate with KSDE and partner agencies on implementation details such as drill protocols, fentanyl-education rollout and foster-placement procedures. He described the district’s approach as pragmatic and iterative, emphasizing reliance on building-level feedback for practicable enforcement.
The board did not take formal action at the meeting; Mr. Reid and staff will return with proposed policy language and handbook edits.
