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School board approves updated student code of conduct handbook with expedited printing window
Summary
Prince George County School Board on July 15 moved the PGCPS 2425 student conduct and safety handbook from discussion to action and approved it with a request that board members send any edits by July 22 so staff can print and distribute copies before school starts.
The Prince George County School Board approved an updated student code of conduct handbook for the 2024–25 school year on July 15 after a lengthy staff presentation and discussion over leveled responses, restorative practices and distribution logistics.
School discipline lead (presenter) said the handbook was redesigned to make consequences transparent for families, adding leveled response charts for elementary and secondary students and expanding restorative-practice alternatives to out-of-school suspension. “We are so excited to have an update to our student code of conduct,” the presenter said, urging the board to move the draft to action so printed copies could reach families before school starts.
Superintendent Dr. Cox and Dr. Martin supported the changes as a way to align the handbook with existing policy. Staff emphasized printing copies in multiple languages and noted the turnaround time for a print vendor is about three to four weeks. The handbook draft also uses asterisks to flag cases in which a School Resource Officer (SRO) might become involved when required by law; staff said that marking is intended to make parent expectations clear, not to change law enforcement policy.
Board members pressed for operational details. One member asked who the handbook’s “SRO” references applied to; staff explained that SRO means school resource officer and that some incidents must be reported to law enforcement under Virginia code. Another member asked that the matrix used by principals to determine levels be made available to the board so letters to families would match the published consequence levels.
Given the printing timeline, a board member moved to place the handbook on the action agenda for tonight; the motion passed on roll call. The board approved the handbook with a condition that members forward any suggested edits to staff by Monday, July 22, so staff could finalize materials for distribution.
The board’s action does not foreclose in-year updates should state guidance change (for example, the governor’s forthcoming guidance on cell-phone policy); staff said any such changes would be communicated to families and incorporated into the next handbook edition.
Next steps: staff will finalize printing quotes, complete translations, and publish the handbook to schools in time for the start of the school year. Board members asked staff to return to the board in August with more detail on discipline matrices and the handling of THC-related or weapon offenses.
