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Board approves updated student, para and employee handbooks; staff attendance and hiring-bonus language revised
Summary
The board approved student, para and employee handbooks that add restorative-practices language, reset dress-code guidance, and include employee attendance steps and discretionary hiring-bonus authority (up to $3,000 for hard-to-fill positions); administrators noted some ESSER-funded incentives have ended.
The Atlantic Community School District board approved updated student, para and employee handbooks after administrators described changes aimed at aligning practice with district goals and recent funding changes.
Administrators said student handbooks were streamlined and revised to include restorative-practices language and clarified dress-code rules (non-distracting hats allowed, ears visible, earbuds not permitted). "We had input from students, teachers and parents and there was overwhelming support for the changes," one presenter said when summarizing the feedback.
The employee handbook now includes staged staff-attendance contacts (alerts at four, eight, 12 and 16 cumulative sick/no-pay days), supervisory expectations to reduce unsupervised students, and a discretionary hiring/retention-bonus provision for hard-to-fill positions. Staff noted that some past retention payments were funded by ESSER and that those funds have ended; the proposed hiring-bonus language would allow the district to offer up to $3,000 in board-approved incentives for certain roles.
Board members also discussed activity-pay and participation requirements: currently teachers are expected to work two activities per year to qualify for an activity pass; the board asked staff to explore whether increasing that requirement, offering comp time, or moving to paid hourly rates would better address event staffing shortages.
Why it matters: The handbook approvals change operational expectations for staff and students, potentially affecting class supervision, staffing patterns and recruitment incentives.
Next steps: Staff will form a representative committee of employees to review handbook items that do not rise to board policy and will publish final handbook documents for families and staff.
