King William County board reviews 70‑page student code of conduct, debates attendance limits and Narcan policy ahead of June 18 vote

The King William County School Board on Monday reviewed a near‑final, roughly 70‑page draft of the student code of conduct and discussed several substantive changes — chiefly attendance limits, tardiness consequences and the administration of emergency medications such as epinephrine and Narcan — with a planned return for a vote on June 18.

Presenter (division staff) told the board the packet is about "95 percent complete," has been posted to BoardDocs and that staff would "walk you through a few specific areas," including expanded responsibilities (pages 7–10), medication administration (pages 10–18) and newly inserted attendance regulations on pages 19–24. The presenter said staff hopes to bring the code back to the board for approval on June 18.

Board members focused first on attendance. The draft, as written, would allow parents to submit up to 10 written notifications to excuse absences for illness and a separate short allowance for pre‑arranged personal travel. A board member asked whether "10 written notifications" meant notes or days; staff clarified the intent was 10 days (one note counted as one day) and said the language would be clarified in the draft.

The code currently proposes a five‑day limit for pre‑arranged personal travel but several board members argued that five days may be too short for common trips; examples included travel that spans a weekend and a multi‑day event. After discussion, the board coalesced around increasing the pre‑arranged travel limit to seven days, directing staff to amend the regulation and to monitor attendance data during the coming year.

Staff explained the waiver process for excusing extended absences. "The waiver process isn't necessarily intended to draw a firm line in the sand because there might be a family that provides lots of information regarding hospitalization," a presenter said, noting that principals, counselors and school teams would review waivers and that hospitalization or other verifiable medical events would be excused even if they pushed a student above absence thresholds. The draft also identifies up to 18 absences (about 10 percent of the school year) as a threshold tied to loss‑of‑credit procedures, with discretion and exemptions for documented medical reasons.

Tardiness and consequences drew lengthy discussion. Board members favored allowing school‑level discretion — after‑school detention or other school‑based consequences rather than exclusionary suspension — but raised logistical concerns about supervising students and transportation for families who cannot pick children up late. Staff said they will gather administrative feedback from principals and return recommended language.

Health‑care issues were a prominent focus. The draft includes explicit language enabling trained staff to administer medications, including epinephrine, and references state guidance on Narcan. A presenter summarized the legal direction: that trained individuals acting in good faith are shielded by policy language, and that some state guidance may require schools to carry Narcan and provide opioid‑prevention education. The board discussed how families would sign consent forms; staff said they plan to use PowerSchool registration prompts with toggles so parents answer discrete consent questions for items such as albuterol, Narcan and EpiPen.

Several board members raised concerns about parental and religious objections to medical administration. One member summarized feedback she heard: "If we were to administer something to a child we are going to be sued because it's against their religion to be provided that medical care." Staff replied that the draft would make exemptions and waivers possible and that the division will work to collect clear, individualized consent information during registration.

On procedural timing, staff said they will make the requested clarifications (10‑day wording, change travel allowance to seven days, add broader language about tardiness consequences and consent toggles in PowerSchool) and bring the revised draft back on June 18 for potential adoption.

The meeting closed its discussion of the code by directing staff to incorporate board feedback, consult school administrators on tardy consequences and return a final draft for board action at the next regular meeting.