Although Nebraska school administrators are busy counting down the days
until the end of the 2015-16 school year, you should also start thinking
about what you need to do over the summer. This year, changes in laws
and regulations on both the state and federal level will require schools to
make some significant policy changes. Here are examples of some of the
changes for the 2016-17 school year:
1) How the district will respond to requests for accommodation from
transgender students (necessitated by NSAA policy);
2) District review and control of staff social media accounts (necessitated
by LB 821);
3) Student Self-management of Asthma, Diabetes and Anaphylaxis
(necessitated by LB 1086);
4) Option Enrollment (necessitated by changes made by LB 1066);
5) Hazing and Initiations (necessitated by LB 710); and
6) Service Animals (recommended based on new regulatory guidance by
the Department of Justice and related case developments).
KSB Policy Service and Policy Update Subscribers KSB is currently
working on policy updates related to these and other policy issues. If you
are a subscriber to either the full policy service or the policy updates, you
will receive the updates via e-mail on May 20, 2016. You should plan to
meet as an administrative team to review at least the policy changes we
have outlined above before building principals go on summer break. KSB
will then be holding our policy service webinar on June 1, 2016. We will
share our thoughts and answer your questions during the webinar so that
you can have all of the information you might need to facilitate board
discussion of these policies at the regular June board meeting.
If you have questions or concerns about policies or your board’s policy
options, we recommend that you consult with your school district’s attorney
or call Karen, Steve, or Bobby.