In what board members called a likely record for the district, the Huntingdon Special School District Board of Education approved 37 policy changes at Wednesday’s meeting, most of them required by new state laws passed this spring.
“These are all sent down from TSBA recommendations that we are to consider because of state law changes in the spring,” Director of Schools Dr. Jonathan Kee told the board before walking through each change one by one.
Many of the updates were minor language fixes required to keep district policy in line with new state law.
Board Meetings and Public Access
The board approved changes allowing members to join meetings electronically during a natural disaster or severe weather event when less than a quorum is physically present, an exception that can be used up to three times a year. Board agendas and any supporting materials must now be finalized and posted publicly at least 48 hours before a meeting. Kee said the district already posts agendas about a week in advance, but any late amendments will now need to go up separately within that 48-hour window.
State law also now allows public comment at board meetings on any topic relevant to the board’s jurisdiction, not just items already on the agenda.
Fiscal Oversight
Following new state comptroller’s office guidance, the district will conduct an internal control review every year alongside its annual audit. The board also adopted a formal fund balance policy, committing to maintain a minimum of two months of expenditures, about $2.6 million, in reserve. Kee told the board the district currently holds close to $4 million in reserve funds, well above that threshold. The district will also be required to submit a certified copy of its budget annually to the state and provide budgetary reports to the Comptroller’s Office of Research and Accountability.
Instruction and Curriculum
Updated terminology around child trafficking instruction will now be built into health education at all three schools, with a plan in place ahead of an August 1 state deadline. Kee said the district has already met with school leadership to fold the material into guidance classes and a dedicated session at the high school.
The board also adopted a new policy prioritizing teacher-led instruction and non-electronic materials in kindergarten through fifth grade, with exceptions for assessments, remediation, and students with IEPs or 504 plans.
“You can’t just allow technology to babysit kids, and we’re not going to do that,” Kee said. “We’ve not been doing that, but now it’s spelled out in our policy.”
Grading policy was updated to ensure that any high school-level coursework completed in middle school counts toward a student’s GPA and graduation credits, a change tied to a new state requirement taking effect next year.
Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, any 7th grader who scores “exceeds expectations” on the math portion of the TCAP must be enrolled in Algebra I as an 8th grader unless a parent opts out, even if only one student qualifies.
Third-grade reading retention policy was also updated.
Students who score at or above the 50th percentile on the spring universal reading screener will now be exempt from mandatory tutoring and can be promoted to fourth grade without it, building on several years of added exceptions to the original law.
Graduation policy now includes the Classic Learning Test as an additional early-graduation pathway, and clarifies that students who complete high school coursework before ninth grade receive graduation credit for it.
Athletics
The board approved updated eligibility rules allowing students at small private schools, those with fewer than 200 students that don’t offer a particular sport, to try out for HSSD athletic teams if they live within the district’s zone.
It’s the latest expansion after similar allowances for homeschool and virtual school students in recent years.
Board member Shawna Smith asked whether the district could charge a fee to offset the cost of accommodating those students.
Kee said current law doesn’t allow it.
“They have to be treated as the same extent as the students are attending” HSSD, he said.
Dr. Lee Carter noted the issue has come up in statewide discussions as well.
“It hurts us double,” Kee said. “We lose funding, and then we’re also at the spending for the program.”
Staffing and Personnel
All new hires will now go through the federal E-Verify system to confirm eligibility to work in the U.S., a step that was previously optional for districts.
The board also removed a provision allowing the district to file complaints with the state seeking license suspension for teachers who resign or breach their contract mid-year, an option eliminated statewide by recent legislation.
Leave policy was also restructured.
Certified staff will now accrue eight sick days and four personal days per year, down from 10 sick days and two personal days previously, a shift Kee said benefits employees with more flexible time off. He noted that change is separate from the district’s longstanding bonus day policy for employees with 20 or more years of service.
The teacher code of conduct was updated to bar any sexually related behavior with former students for 12 months following graduation or withdrawal.
Student Safety and Discipline
Several policies now formalize existing safety and discipline procedures.
Districts must request attendance records for mid-year transfer students previously enrolled elsewhere in the same school year, and any unexcused absences carry over into the student’s current total.
Principals are now required to develop a formal safety plan for any student with an order of protection against another student at their school.
The list of staff permitted to conduct student searches, previously limited to trained administrators, can now be expanded to include other trained school employees, though Kee said the district plans to keep that responsibility with administrators for now.
Schools must also notify parents of students in a classroom on any day that classroom is evacuated due to another student’s behavior.
Lastly, a student’s disciplinary record or pending investigation will now follow them if they withdraw and later re-enroll in the district.
Outside Providers, Health, and Other Updates
State law now requires the district to grant classroom access to private-pay applied behavior therapy providers under a signed memorandum of understanding, even though the district doesn’t employ or supervise them.
“That is concerning,” Kee said, “but we’ll have an MOU, and obviously, if they don’t meet expectations… we will have to address that with that company.”
The district also updated its student wellness policy to align with new state board language, and clarified that schools can now stock epinephrine in multiple forms, including nasal sprays, not just auto-injectors, in at least two secure locations per building.
A policy on military families was updated to give relocating students one calendar year to provide documentation, and to guarantee that juniors and seniors from military families can remain enrolled through graduation if their family moves outside the district.
Rounding out the list, 10 separate policies were updated to include new legally required language defining “sex” and “gender” based on reproductive anatomy at birth, a statewide mandate taking effect January 1, 2027.
