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Wood River board adopts updated student, staff and activity handbooks; adds guidance on AI use
Summary
The Wood River Rural Schools Board of Education unanimously approved updated student, staff and activity handbooks for 2026–27, including a substantial addition on student use of AI tools and changes to short‑term suspension notices; the board also reaffirmed several existing policies.
The Wood River Rural Schools Board of Education on July 13 unanimously approved updated student, staff and activity handbooks for the 2026–27 school year, including a large addition on student use of artificial‑intelligence tools and revisions to short‑term suspension and notice procedures.
Elementary Principal Mrs. Phillips introduced herself to the board and outlined the student handbook revisions, saying the document now includes specific rules and expectations governing student use of AI tools as well as updated language for short‑term suspensions and how notices may be provided. Activity Director Mr. Hirchert described changes to the activity handbook focused on emergency response to allergic reactions.
The board voted 6–0 to approve the student handbook (motion by Crystal Stutzman, second by Jodi Rauert), the staff handbook (motion by Jodi Rauert, second by Nick Rennau), and the activity handbook (motion by Crystal Stutzman, second by Dylan Gill). The motions as recorded in the meeting minutes each carried unanimously.
The board also used the meeting to reaffirm several policies that were the subject of earlier hearings that evening: Policy 5045 (student fees), Policy 5015 (Protection of Pupil Rights), and Policies 5057 and 5018 (parent involvement). Each reaffirmation passed on unanimous votes. Separately, the board approved a broader set of annual policy updates covering Policies 2008, 3003, 3003.1, 3004.1, 3048, 3057, 3061, 4017, 4019, 4056, 4065, 5001, 5003, 5004, 5035, 5048, 6009, 6038 and 6046 and related forms as part of the district's 2026 annual policy review (motion by Dylan Gill, second by Crystal Stutzman; Yea: 6, Nay: 0).
Why it matters: the student handbook changes clarify how students may use AI tools in school settings and update disciplinary notice procedures; activity handbook emergency‑response changes aim to standardize staff actions on allergic reactions during extracurricular events. The reaffirmed policies and annual updates set the district's governance and notification practices for the coming year.
The board did not record direct public testimony opposing these changes in the provided minutes. The district indicated no further immediate procedural steps beyond implementing the approved handbooks and updated policies.
