Plymouth School Committee Approves Updated Student Handbook

New policies address technology misuse, attendance, and AI-generated content

PLYMOUTH, MA - June 3 - The Plymouth School Committee unanimously approved significant updates to the student handbook for the 2024-2025 school year at its June 3 meeting, focusing on stricter attendance policies and new rules addressing technological advancements and student behavior.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Stacey Rogers, presenting the changes to the committee, highlighted the Department of Education's increased emphasis on chronic absenteeism. "The Department of Education has risen chronic absenteeism to the top of their priority list," she said.

The updated handbook now includes more stringent language around student attendance and the need for physician's notes to excuse absences. It also addresses the growing trend of students participating in ID camps and elite tournaments, which will now be officially counted as absences.

In response to evolving technology and its impact on school environments, the committee has expanded the list of offenses eligible for suspension. Dr. Rogers explained, "This is always being updated only because of a lot due to technology and new technological advances that are becoming disruptive within the school day."

New offenses include vaping, misuse of technology resulting in school disruption, and fighting, bullying, or harassment through social media, text, or other forms of digital communication.

The handbook now includes "identity theft" as a Type 3 discipline offense. This addition comes in response to incidents where students misrepresented themselves on social media, including impersonating teachers or other students.

Recognizing the growing influence of artificial intelligence, the committee has expanded the definition of plagiarism. Dr. Rogers stated, "The full use of artificial intelligence is AI-generated, or anything that they hand in, which is AI-generated, also falls under plagiarism."

Other notable changes include updating "foreign language" to "world language" throughout the handbook for increased inclusivity, and revising the acceptable use policy to address image alteration using AI technology.

The committee also updated athletic fees to reflect recent changes and clarified that the list of clubs and activities in the handbook is a sample rather than a comprehensive list. The updated handbook was approved with the suggested edits to be incorporated.