Board approves updated student handbooks and tightens device rules

The Litchfield School Board on Tuesday approved updated student handbooks for the district's schools, with principals describing mostly language clarifications and a few substantive adjustments for the coming year.

Dan, a principal who presented the GMS handbook, said the changes were primarily minor wording edits to align handbooks with district policies and to reflect recent legislation. He told the board the handbook will remain a "live document" that staff will update if the school board adopts related policy changes. "Based on some legislation that was passed that goes into effect during this school year, ... some changes may have to take place throughout the school year," he said.

At the middle school, the principal introduced a new front‑page letter to inform families about a therapy and a service dog in the building and added clearer language about permissible small fidgets versus distracting toys. The middle‑school principal also said the district will ask families to keep large novelty items at home: "We're gonna ask them to put it in their bag and then not return it to school," he said.

At Campbell High School, administrative presenters described clarifications to plagiarism responses and co‑curricular eligibility rules (students failing more than one course may lose eligibility until credit is recovered). The board approved each handbook by voice vote. The chair announced the motions for each and recorded the approvals as carried by the board.

Administrators emphasized that several handbook items remain tied to broader policy work the board will consider in coming meetings; staff said they would return with any necessary edits following formal policy updates.

The board's approvals were procedural in nature; there were no recorded dissents on the handbook motions.