The Washington County School District board spent part of its Oct. 13 meeting reviewing multiple policy updates that will remain in discussion for the required period before final action.

On emergency preparedness (Policy 31-10), district staff noted a substantive wording update: the language adopted from the I Love You Guys Foundation replaces the term "lockout" with "secure" to match law-enforcement terminology when the threat is outside the building. A staff presenter said the change is important so "we no longer use the terminology lockout," and that the policy also needed an update to require five safety drills per year for secondary schools rather than four.

On homeschooling (Policy 4,300), staff explained the state changed statutory requirements: the district will move from a signed, notarized affidavit to a one-time written notification. Staff said they will update the policy language and append the correct compulsory-education citations.

On child abuse and neglect reporting (Policy 23-10), staff described substantial updates to align policy with state code and practice. Notably, the policy now reflects that mandated reporters submit an online report to DCFS and that staff should report both to DCFS and to their supervisor. The district also clarified that a "friendly adult" may be present during interviews by law enforcement or the investigating agency, language drawn from state law. Staff emphasized the district trains employees annually on mandatory-reporting responsibilities.

On employee leave (Policy 13-30), staff proposed aligning certified staff leave eligibility with classified staff so that benefit eligibility begins at the start of the first year of appointment rather than the second year. The change is currently under the 30-day review.

These items were placed on the agenda for discussion; most will return for formal adoption after the public or formal review period. The board did not take final votes on these discussion items on Oct. 13 (except where noted elsewhere on the agenda).