Sarasota School Board set to approve 21 revised district policies, AI guidance

Steven Walker, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·5 min read
The Sarasota County Schools logo as seen from behind the School Board table.
The Sarasota County Schools logo as seen from behind the School Board table.

Notable policies set to be voted on include adding AIDS instruction to a policy that allows parents to opt out of sexual health instruction under Florida Statute and clarifying guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms. In the revised policies, the district states that "students shall not use artificial intelligence platforms to avoid doing their own work," and that AI, "should only be used as a supplement when authorized by a teacher."

The Sarasota School Board will convene Tuesday afternoon to approve 21 revised school district policies, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence in schools to school safety regulations and updating the rules for time-out punishments for ESE students. Exceptional Student Education, or ESE, refers to the education of children with disabilities who need specially designed instruction, according to the Florida Department of Education.

School boards periodically update policies to comply with changes in law from the Florida Legislature. Board members discussed policy updates at past workshops, and policy updates were approved for advertisement at a March 5 board meeting.

Below are brief descriptions of each policy update the school board was set to approve at Tuesday's meeting based on the posted board agenda.

  • Policy 3.24 - Safe & Secure Schools:

    • Updates terminology to align with state statute and State Board of Education rule.

    • Removes threat assessment teams section and replaces it with reference to thorough threat management team policy.

    • Adds necessary references to other board policies and Alyssa’s Alert information. Alyssa alerts refer to Florida's Alyssa's Law, which requires public schools be equipped with silent panic alarms with a direct line to law enforcement."

    • Updates when law enforcement or security officers may have weapons on campus.

  • Policy 3.241 - SESIR (School Environment Safety Incident Reporting):

    • Defines terms related to SESIR reporting.

    • Outlines how incidents shall be analyzed for reporting requirements.

    • Defines training and accountability requirements for the district.

  • Policy 4.10 - The Curriculum:

    • Adds information on substantial deficiency and notification as required by state law.

    • Revises AIDS instruction to align with Florida statutes.

  • Policy 4.115 - Grade Forgiveness:

    • Adds requirement for parental notification.

  • Policy 4.12 - Exceptional Student Education:

    • Revises definitions in accordance with state statutes.

    • Updates timelines for plan submission to the FL Department of Education.

    • Adds information about parental notification on student record/educational decision rights and responsibilities transfer.

  • Policy 4.31 - Community Speakers:

    • Revises the review process for teachers prior to requesting approval for a guest speaker.

    • Revises the administrator review process prior to approving a guest speaker.

    • Updates parent/guardian notification requirements for guest speakers and adds a parental opt-out option.

  • Policy 5.321 - Possession of Weapons and Other Prohibited Items:

    • Revises definitions to align with state statutes.

    • Updates disciplinary action alignment with state statute.

  • Policy 5.343 - Use of Time Out, Seclusion, or Restraint for Students with Disabilities:

    • Aligns definitions with state statute.

    • Updates use of physical restraint and mechanical restraint guidelines.

    • Prohibits the use of seclusion.

  • Policy 5.372 - Student Identification Badges:

    • Requires student identification to include contact numbers for national and statewide crisis and suicide hotlines and text lines.

    • Sets replacement cost for identification cards each year.

  • Policy 5.50 - Academic Honesty:

    • Clarifies the definition of cheating.

    • Addresses acceptable and unacceptable use of artificial intelligence (AI) for students.

  • Policy 6.21 - District Certificates:

    • Updates professional certificate renewal to reference state statute and State Board of Education Rule.

    • Aims to avoid revising the policy every cycle.

  • Policy 6.22 - Teaching Out of Field:

    • Updates course credit satisfaction requirements to reference state statute and State Board of Education rule.

    • Aims to avoid revising the policy every cycle.

  • Policy 6.303 - Employees with Weapons:

    • Revises definitions of school, school board property, firearm, and weapon to align with State Statutes.

    • Defines the circumstances when an employee can have a weapon.

    • Revises who confiscated weapons are turned over to.

  • Policy 8.10 - Safety:

    • Removes items covered in other policies to ensure alignment and avoid redundancy.

    • Updates how school safety teams are created.

  • Policy 8.111 - Key Control – Access to Buildings:

    • Revises responsibility for distribution and maintenance of keys and proximity cards to the Office of Safety & Security and Emergency Management.

    • Adds information on replacement costs of keys and proximity cards.

    • Updates responsibility for ensuring separated employees return keys and proximity cards.

  • Policy 8.112 - District Facility and Event Security Screening:

    • Requires schools to have a security plan for before and after school activities.

    • Requires After-Action reviews and reports to be submitted to the Office of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management.

  • Policy 8.16 - Emergency Drills:

    • School Safety Specialist sets yearly emergency drill schedule.

    • Updates when drills need to happen and the types of drills required by State Statute and State Board of Education Rule.

    • Adds an item on the schedule for testing emergency communication systems.

  • Policy 8.18 - Emergency Closing of Schools and Student Reunification:

    • Outlines requirements for the district reunification team and responsibilities for principals to establish an emergency response team.

    • Updates school-site reunification process.

  • Policy 8.19 - Security Plan:

    • Requires schools to have a security plan for before and after school activities.

    • Requires after-action reviews and reports to be submitted to the Office of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management.

  • Policy 8.36 - Transporting Students in Private Vehicles:

    • Clarifies in line with legislative changes in 2023.

    • Requires review and authorization by the district’s Transportation Office.

    • Requires parental authorization for non-emergency private vehicle transportation.

  • Policy 9.101 - Parent and Family Engagement:

    • Changes name to "Parent/Family Engagement."

    • Updates the term “Parent” as defined in Florida Statute.

    • Updates notification requirements for schools receiving Title I funds and the information needed to be given to parents.

    • Changes "Professional Development" to "Professional Learning."

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota School Board to vote on 21 revised district policies, AI guidance