FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR RECOMMENDED CHANGES WERE MADE FOR THE FOLLOWING POLICIES:

Policy 5500.07 – Code of Student Conduct – Discipline

Amendments to this policy consolidated the misconduct, disciplinary action, suspension, and expulsion provisions previously contained in Policies 5500.07, 5500.10, and 5500.12 into one cohesive policy. As part of this process, all discipline-related policies were reviewed and revised. Comprehensive redline drafts of the revisions were presented and discussed during the Pinellas County School Board Workshop. Key changes included:

• clarifying disciplinary expectations and reinforcing that disciplinary actions must be reasonable, timely, fair, age-appropriate, and based on the specific circumstances of the misconduct;

• clarifying the terms of disciplinary reassignment and specifying that reassignment decisions are not subject to appeal;

• incorporating suspension, reassignment, and expulsion provisions previously found in Policies 5500.10 and 5500.12;

• removing the Wireless Communication Devices section to support the adoption of a standalone policy; and

• adding definitions, clarifying language, and eliminating redundancy throughout the policy.

Policy 5500.08 – Code of Student Conduct – Misconduct that Requires Specific Consequences

This policy, which outlines misconduct and consequences required by law, was amended to:

• clarify language regarding the reassignment process for felony arrests and off-campus conduct;

• remove suspension process language, as those provisions are now fully incorporated into Policy 5500.07; and

• make technical and structural revisions to improve clarity and readability.

Policy 5500.09 – Code of Student Conduct – Conduct on School Buses and Electric Transportation

Amendments to this policy added provisions related to electric transportation devices. Changes included:

• updating the policy title to include electric transportation;

• defining electric transportation devices;

• requiring storage in designated bike compounds;

• prohibiting on-campus charging of electric transportation devices; and

• establishing safety requirements for student use and transportation of such devices on school property.

The new Policy 5500.10 – Code of Student Conduct – Wireless Communication Devices makes the following substantive changes:

• separates wireless communication device rules from the student discipline policy;

• reorders the existing content to improve flow;

• revises the definition of a wireless communication device;

• adds a definition for wearable recording devices, such as smart glasses;

• creates a new section outlining the prohibited use of wearable recording devices; and

• specifies that smartwatches are to be used only for location tracking and timekeeping