BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The Clay County School Board will tackle a comprehensive review of its student code of conduct starting in February, beginning with bullying policies, officials said during a recent workshop.
Board member Michele Hanson proposed dividing the district’s lengthy student handbook into separate elementary and secondary versions, similar to what other Florida districts have done.
“It’s really long and no parents I know are ever reading it,” Hanson said. “I feel it needs to be divided into two sections, where we have an elementary student code of conduct separate from a secondary student code of conduct.”
The board member, who represents Keystone Heights and Middleburg, suggested creating one-page summaries with key information for parents to acknowledge electronically when they register their children at the start of each school year, similar to what Duval County does.
“Communication is key for organizations to get better and smarter at what we do,” she said.
The board agreed to begin with bullying policies in February, followed by homework and grading policies. Hanson said she wants universal procedures for bullying across all schools, noting the approach worked well with the district’s cell phone policy.
“There’s a bit of a fight in us to do the right thing for our students, but when we held them to a very high expectation, what happened? They rose,” she said.
The board also plans to address truancy, discipline and classroom disruption policies, which Hanson said would have the biggest impact for teachers.
Hanson also suggested scheduling separate workshops dedicated to the student code of conduct rather than trying to cover everything during regular agenda review meetings, since the board must approve the updated code by April or May.
The discussion came during the board’s December 1 workshop, where Superintendent David Broskie previewed a relatively light agenda for the upcoming December meeting — traditionally one of the shortest of the year.
In other business, the board discussed ways to improve communication with parents and the community. Hanson suggested adding a “myth versus fact” section to the district’s quarterly newsletter to address misconceptions about charter schools, school board roles, and other topics.
“There is a ton of misconception about what a school board does versus a superintendent,” she said. “It helps people understand. You can imagine what conversation is like if people have no background knowledge.”
The newsletter reaches thousands of readers; the last edition was opened more than 41,000 times, officials said.
Hanson also requested more differentiated professional development opportunities for veteran teachers on the district’s semi-annual in-service days, suggesting master teachers could benefit from advanced workshops tailored to their experience level.
District officials said they already offer teacher choice sessions and incorporate teacher leaders into collaborative planning but welcomed suggestions for improvement.
The December board meeting will include recognitions for state swimming champions, the assistant principal of the year, and teacher and employee of the year semifinalists. Middleburg Elementary will be recognized as an exceeding expectations school.
