The Flagler County School Board Tuesday to the and Student Code of Conduct and Discipline.
The motion — made by Cheryl Massaro and seconded by Christy Chong — passed unanimously.
Here are the changes:
Flagler middle school dress code
Middle schoolers will now have more options when choosing what shoes to wear to school.
Previously, the codes of conduct didn’t allow students in grades six to eight to wear flip-flops or slides on campus, but now they have the same options as high schoolers: flat fully enclosed shoes; athletic shoes; flip-flops; sandals; slides; and Croc-style footwear.
Additionally, the codes no longer specifically state that students cannot wear pajamas to school. But current language does note that lower-half attire — pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, jeans and jumpers — should be worn securely at the waist, fall no shorter than mid-thigh, and have no rips or tears above the mid-thigh.
Student discipline
The student codes of conduct no longer lists “cheating/plagiarism” as a level II offense. The category was replaced with a more general policy on academic dishonesty, which notes that a student’s work must be “original” and an “honest representation” of what the student knows. The codes list plagiarism, cheating, academic fraud, fabrication and misuse of artificial intelligence as some examples of academic dishonesty.
Skipping class is also listed as a level II offense. Previously, if students intentionally missed more than 10 minutes of an assigned class period without staff approval, it would be considered skipping class. Now students only need to miss the first five minutes.
Furthermore, the codes now include minor theft — “stealing of an item valued at less than $25” — as a level II offense and intentional violations of safety drill procedures as a level III offense.
They also no longer list “planned fights” as a level III offense and instead updated “hit/striking” — also a level III offense — to say, “Non-mutual physical contact with malicious intent, but without injury to the victim and did not require law enforcement involvement.”
School transportation expectations
The codes include a new rule for students riding school buses. Students are no longer allowed to use personal electronic devices without the driver’s permission.
Massaro told The News-Journal that this rule stems from some students “battling” about the type and volume of music being played on buses, which was “creating problems with passengers on the bus.”
“That’s where it stemmed from,” she said. “They needed something to lean on, the bus drivers. Now they have it — a penalty to the situation — so if there is an issue, they can use that enforcement.
“I don’t think that the bus drivers — as long as it’s not bothering anybody and nobody’s complaining — … are going to stop the bus and tell everybody to get off their phones and go back and check,” she continued. “That’s just not going to happen.”
School Board Chair Will Furry told The News-Journal bus drivers and the transportation department were involved in establishing this new rule, “and they felt this was the best route to go when it comes to device policy.”
He also said that administration will take progressive disciplinary action when necessary to enforce the codes of conduct and that students will not be punished if they use their phones during an emergency.
“The most important thing I want to communicate to parents is that in the event of the emergency situation, their students will be able to communicate with their loved ones,” he said.