The Cumberland County School Board Policy Committee met yesterday for a short session. Members approved an edited policies pertaining to tobacco free schools. The committee took out a sentence that stated a citation for using tobacco on school property can be given to a student by a principal. In years past, the citations issued by principals filled up juvenile court so it was eased off of until present day. The policy will now read the student resource officer can issue the citation to a student caught with tobacco or vaping products on school premises. The policy is further enhanced with the new federal law now in place banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

Other policy changes made include:

ATTENDANCE – Students attending college visits and school sponsored or school endorsed activities will be marked as present. Another change to the policy states students in K-8 will be allowed to make up any missed work. It previously said only with excused absences will they be allowed to make up missed work.

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PROGRAMS – The line “allowances may be made for short-term alternative to suspensions at an alternative school depending on space availability” was added based on a new law passed. Another sentence to the policy was added two words that are capitalized to the following: “all transfers to the alternative school based on zero tolerance offences or long term suspensions shall be initiated by a parental OR GUARDIAN appeal to school discipline and then determined by the Disciplinary Hearing Authority in accordance to the suspension policy of the board of education and based upon recommendations from a team comprised of the principal or designee of the principal, student, and parent or guardian of the student.

All of these changes now go before the full Cumberland County Board of Education for their approval.