The Orange County School Board held a rule development workshop to update three policies and the Code of Student Conduct for the 2021-2022 school year:
This policy was revised to update available transfers for OCPS students, as well as to include legislative updates, content, formatting and terminology edits consistent with statutory language.
Some of the changes include sibling eligibility for transfers, modified academic and controlled open enrollment transfer timelines to Feb. 1 through April 30, as well as prioritization of students residing in Orange County for both controlled open enrollment transfers and Hope Scholarship transfers.
School Board Policy JIC and the OCPS Code of Student Conduct were revised to authorize procedures for student behavior and disciplinary actions, as well as to include legislative and statutory updates, formatting and terminology edits.
Some of the changes include more child-friendly language in the elementary sections of the Code of Student Conduct, language clarifying the right for OCPS to search a student’s OCPS student issued device, explanation of the legal term “in loco parentis”, and addition of the new Level 4FF offense to address the distribution or sale of tobacco/vaping products. The elementary child-friendly changes to the Code of Student Conduct will be accompanied by a corresponding Canvas course for K-5 students and a coloring book resource for teachers to use to explain these rules with our youngest students.
This policy is being revised to be consistent with the Florida Department of Education, Office of Safe Schools, model policy regarding threat assessment teams, new statutory language, in addition to revising existing language for formatting and terminology edits.
Some of the changes include definitions of a variety of terms related to threat assessment teams, addition of a new section on threats of self-harm, clarification of involvement by law enforcement and/or School Resource Office and establishment of a Threats Procedures Guide for school personnel.
The presentation to the School Board details the specifics of the policy changes.
Next steps: All proposed changes are scheduled to be voted on at the June 8, 2021 School Board meeting, barring any additional changes necessitated by legislative and/or executive actions at the state level. Policies JCA and JICK would take effect immediately if voted affirmatively on June 8, while the effective date for Policy JIC would be the first day of school on Aug. 10, 2021.
*Reminder* Work sessions and rule development workshops are live-streamed on the School Board’s YouTube channel and will be accessible from web browsers on computers or mobile devices.