HPC approves handbooks for 2025-26

The High Plains school board spent much of Monday’s regular monthly meeting discussing, adjusting and ultimately approving its student, activity and staff handbooks for the 2025-26 school year. 
Two of the major changes in the student handbook dealt with a new total cell phone ban as well as dress code policy. In accordance with new legislation passed statewide, High Plains adopted a new policy (6025) for a total cell phone ban during school hours.
As written in the handbook, students are not allowed to use cell phones or other electronic devices, such as smart watches, during school. This correlates with LB140, which was passed during the previous legislative session.
The handbook explains that students can either leave their electronic devices at home, in their vehicle or in the school office. At the end of the school day, students will be given devices back before going home or to activities. 
Students are also not permitted to use electronic devices while riding in a school vehicle unless given permission from the vehicle driver or coach/sponsor. 
Staff who discover students in possession of a cellular phone or electronic device while at school during the school day will immediately confiscate the device and turn it into the administration.
Consequences at the elementary school include confiscated device and parents contacted on first offense, confiscation and lunch detention for the second offense and a parent must pick up the device while a third offense includes a required meeting before returning devices. A fourth offense includes administrative action.
At the junior high and high school, the first offense is the same while a second offense includes after school detention with the parents having to retrieve the device. A third offense includes two additional detentions and a parent meeting while a fourth offense includes administrative action. 
One of the other major changes included the new dress code policy that was adopted during last month’s meeting, another statewide change.
HPC prohibits student attire that causes a substantial disruption to the district’s programs and activities, promotes violence, drugs, alcohol, vulgarity, obscenity, illegal activity, hate speech, bullying speech, or harassing speech. It also prohibits words, gestures, or images that contain or imply sexual content or innuendo. 
The handbook reads that students may be required to wear protective clothing or equipment or otherwise modify their attire or secure their hair to ensure the safety of themselves and others. In such cases, a good faith effort to reasonably accommodate students will be made to ensure safety without compromising religious beliefs, grooming practices, or requiring students to permanently alter their appearance. The least restrictive means appropriate to address the identified health or safety concern shall be used.
Changes in the activity handbook included several items regarding coach or sponsor and student communication. 
The handbook states that in an effort to ensure student safety, clear expectations and professional boundaries, HPC has established the following communication guidelines for all athletic coaches and all school sponsored programs.
According to the handbook, all communication between coaches and student-athletes must occur exclusively though the SportsYou platform using its text messaging feature. 
On the SportsYou website, it states they are a data-secure, school-safe, US owned and operated messaging platform built for coaches to enrich communities and help young athletes find their stride. According to HPC AD Greg Wood, the SportsYou platform is recommended by the NSAA. 
The handbook also states all team members and the AD should be included in messages. If a student contacts a coach directly, that coach is supposed to respond with a parent and/or the AD included in the response, according to the handbook. 
The handbook also states coaches are not to communicate with student-athletes through personal text messaging, phone calls or social media platforms.
If using email for communication, coaches must include the student-athlete’s parent or guardian as well as the AD. Direct one-on-one emails between a coach and student-athlete are prohibited.
The handbook also states that communication must be professional, respectful and focused on sport-related matters, including practice times or game schedules. All coaches are expected to comply with the communication policy and violations may result in written warnings, suspension or possible dismissal. 
Many of those same topics were also included in the staff handbook. All three handbooks were unanimously approved by the board. 
The board also unanimously approved a one-year sports cooperative with Fullerton to include junior high football. According to Supt. Jason Brown, each school is responsible for providing a head coach to be co-head coaches. Practices will be in Clarks with no Wednesdays throughout the fall. Home games will alternate between Clarks and Fullerton and the team will wear the uniforms of the home site with program costs split evenly. Fullerton is expected to vote on its end Wednesday. 
In other action items, the HPC board approved:
* policy 5045 student fees;
* policy 5018 parental involvement;
* policy 5057 District Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy;
* policy 5054 student bullying;
* policy revisions to 2008 Meetings, 5002 admission of students, 5003 admission of part time students;
* bid from EMC & Meyers Insurance for comprehensive insurance for the 2025-2026 school year and HPC Schools in the amount of $167,921.00;
* bus routes and sub pay for 2025-26; 
* bid from Rathman-Manning in the amount of $16,100.00 to repair the interior and exterior damaged areas of Clarks gym;
* all excess items at Clarks and Polk that are no longer in working condition or are surplus, and dispose of them at a salvage yard.