The San Antonio Independent School District changed its student code of conduct for the second time this school year to comply with new state mandates.
While it’s routine for the school board to adopt an updated student code of conduct every school year, school districts are usually left playing catch up during state legislative years, especially if laws go into effect before Sept. 1, which is usually when new legislation takes effect in Texas.
Wrapping up in June, education issues were a highlight of the 89th regular legislative session, where state lawmakers passed massive public school funding and student discipline bills.
SAISD typically waits for guidance from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) on how to model new discipline laws, said Beth Jones, assistant superintendent for the district’s office of strategy. After that, districts wait for more guidance from the Texas Education Agency on how to code incidents.
New student discipline laws include House Bill 6, which makes it easier for schools to issue out-of-school suspensions for younger students and homeless students, and House Bill 1481, which effectively bans cellphones during school hours.
Both laws went into effect as soon as they were signed into law in June, giving school districts and state agencies shortened timelines for implementation.
SAISD adopted a “placeholder” student code of conduct on July 14, removing newly prohibited language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, but not including other changes.
“You don’t want to start the school year without a student code of conduct,” Jones said.
Five days after SAISD’s first day of school in August, the board approved a more updated version of the student code of conduct, including the major changes from HB 6 and the cellphone ban under TASB guidance.
TASB’s model came out really fast, Jones said, but then the TEA made changes to the process for coding discipline incidents that were “more substantial” than the district expected. This required the SAISD board to approve a new version of the student code of conduct, though the meat of the document under HB 6 remained largely the same.
The latest changes to SAISD’s code were approved on Sept. 22.
Computer coding issues or not, these are the biggest changes to student discipline laws under HB 6: it’s easier for school administrators to issue out-of-school suspensions when homeless students or students below third grade engage in conduct “that threatens the immediate health and safety of other students in the classroom,” replacing conduct considered “assault” as a suspension worthy offense.
Campus administrators can also issue out-of-school suspensions when students have a pattern of conduct resulting in “repeated or significant disruption to the classroom,” a completely new provision that “broadens the scope” of when suspensions can be assigned.
HB 6 also increased the list of student discipline actions in which the district is required to respond by placing students in alternative education centers or expelling students based on conduct that occurs off campus.
Some board members worry the changes make it easier to target minority students.
“There is sometimes bias that adults bring into classrooms, and I think this opens up the ability to enact on that bias,” said Trustee Christina Martinez. She was especially concerned about the way some teachers might interpret “disruptive” behavior.
But while the board must comply with state laws, SAISD can shape its own policy to focus more on holistic and restorative practices, Jones told the Report.
Jones will also be collecting feedback on the student code of conduct from parents, students and community members during the fall, potentially making more changes to the code later during the 2025-26 school year.
“A student code of conduct should be a living document,” she said. “You can’t make changes to the law, but you can change district policy.”
