The Worthington Schools Board of Education conducted a first reading of multiple policy updates on October 13, 2025, primarily to bring district policies in line with recent state law changes. The Policy Committee, led by board members Stephanie Harless and Nikki Hudson, reviewed approximately 200 pages of proposed updates, split across two meetings to make the review more manageable.
Cell Phone Policy Refinements
The most extensive discussion centered on refinements to Policy 5136, the district's personal communication devices (PCD) policy. The board had already adopted a cell phone policy before the school year started, and these changes were primarily for clarity and consistency with new state guidelines.
Key changes discussed included:
Grade Band Consistency: The board decided to pull general language about when students may use cell phones (before and after school) out of the individual grade band sections and make it apply to all students, rather than repeating it separately for middle school and high school.
Recording Prohibition: The policy initially included language prohibiting students from using devices to "capture, record and transmit" during the instructional day. Board members questioned whether this needed to extend to extracurricular events and whether it duplicated other existing policies.
Device Storage: The board confirmed that the policy correctly reflects current practice: elementary students keep devices in their bags, middle school students keep them in lockers, and high school students are permitted to have them on their person (though not in use during instructional time).
Attendance Policy and Driver's Education
Policy 5200, covering student attendance, was updated to align with new Ohio law encouraging students to get driver's licenses. The state now requires districts to allow students to miss school for driver's education courses.
The policy as written included language limiting absences to times when they don't "occur during a core curriculum subject course," but the board had concerns about this restriction. The state law doesn't define what constitutes a "core curriculum" course, which could create confusion.
After discussion, the board decided to verify whether that specific language is required by Ohio law and, if not, to remove it, giving families more flexibility for scheduling required driving hours.
The policy also addressed the definition of "death in the family" as an excused absence. When asked if the district needed to specify which family members qualify, one board member said they would prefer to keep it broad rather than restrictive.
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Religious Instruction Release Time (RTRI)
Policy 5223, governing religious instruction release time, was updated to comply with new state requirements that extend the program from elementary schools up through high school. The main change is that the law now explicitly includes high school students.
The board discussed whether to remove language about "trinkets" and other outside materials from this specific policy, with plans to address the broader question of outside materials in a separate, more comprehensive policy that would apply to all materials coming into schools, not just those related to religious instruction.
A board member, when asked for clarification stated "The religious materials, I think we can still ask they stay put away, right? Because it's not part of curriculum, but obviously wouldn't be prohibited from bringing them."
The board plans to have their legal team provide guidance on this question before the second reading.
Other Policy Updates
The board also reviewed several other policies with minimal discussion:
NOTE: All policy documents can be found at this link
- Policy 2431: Updated with minor technical changes
- Policy 3130: No changes needed
- Policy 5130: No changes needed
- Policy 5410: Significantly shortened for clarity
- Policy 6109: Credit card acceptance policy—the district chose not to adopt this optional policy, as most credit card transactions go through third parties like MyPaymentsPlus, with only HR accepting cards directly for background checks
- Policy 6152: Adopted as presented
- Policy 6830: Adopted as presented
- Policy 7540: Digital content and accessibility—adopted as presented
It was noted that someone from the NELA (Northeast Ohio Legal Association) attends policy review meetings to help explain the ins and outs of state law changes, which board members found very helpful.
The Board thanked the Policy Committee and specifically praised the summary chart that staff member Tracy prepares: "It is so helpful for us that aren't in the room during policy to really have a synopsis of what we're getting into as we're reviewing the policy before the meeting."
Next Steps
The policies will return for a second reading and potential approval at an upcoming board meeting. The Policy Committee noted that they still have the second half of the 200-page policy packet to review in the coming weeks.