Poolville ISD approves student handbook changes | Local News - Weatherford Democrat

Poolville ISD board of trustees approved changes to the student handbook and athletic handbook at the meeting on Thursday evening in the elementary building.

Several of the changes related to dress and grooming, such as rules on hairstyles for male and female students and rules on piercings and tattoos. Changes were also made to the district’s grading policy.

Superintendent Jeff Kirby reviewed changes with trustees before they voted. Frayed jeans that don’t show skin are allowed, but slashed pants need to be worn with leggings to cover exposed skin. Trench coats are prohibited.

For hair, unnatural hair colors and extreme hairstyles are not permitted. All students must have hair that is cleaned, groomed and kept out of the eyes.

“Boys especially must keep their hair above the collar, earlobe length or higher and not touching the eyebrows,” Kirby said reading from the changes.

Body piercings are restricted to earrings and a small stud in the nose, and all other piercings must be covered with a clear spacer, Kirby read. Piercings for girls in elementary school are restricted to the ear, and older female students may have ears pierced and a small stud in the nose. Boys can’t have facial hair or earring piercings. Gouging of the ear or body is prohibited.

Tattoos must be covered, Kirby read.

“You can’t hold elementary kids to the same accountability as you do the high school because they don’t shave, they don’t do those types of things, so 14 [in the student handbook], we left it up to the principals to have discretion to designate anything else that they might deem appropriate,” Kirby said.

For the grading policy, one of the changes implemented was to require teachers to put grades in the grade book at a certain time.

“We’ve got some teachers that when three-week progress reports come out, it’s showing kids as failing because teachers aren’t putting grades in the grade book,” Kirby said. “If we’re going to have parent portal and parents are going to be able to get to the grades and look at them, there better be some grades in there.”

Board members talked about how the issue of not having grades in the grade book is frustrating, especially as parents.

The athletic handbook was changed to specify that students in in-school suspension cannot participate in athletic events, even if the event is after school on the student’s last day of suspension, Kirby said.

Trustees also approved the purchase of a 30-passenger activity bus for $140,000. The bus will need to be wrapped in the school colors and logo for about $4,000. The board agreed to plan for another bus next year.

The bus has a stereo system in the front and back, a DVD player and USB ports at every seat, Kirby said. The bus is expected to be ready in about a month.

“I think the kids would get more out of the one nice [bus],” Trustee Colt Stewart said. “Then, next year budget for another.”

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 10.

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