Hillsborough School District work session, Sep 29, 2026
3 h 47 min
This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 47 min.
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What happened
What happened at this meeting
Hillsborough board reviews political activities policy, plans more edits before future workshop 8:46
- Board members discussed an amendment to Policy 3232, Political Activities, that would bar partisan political activity on board property and require that the board be advised by email of requests to use board property for nonpartisan purposes. 9:31
- A staff member proposed making edits, sending them to board members and taking the policy to another workshop, and one board member said members should provide more input and discuss it at the next workshop. 47:17
- The board also reviewed policies on attendance, threat management and participation fees for private school and PEP students in athletics. 1:00:57
- In the afternoon, Florida Connections Academy presented its school improvement plan after earning a D, and a staff member said no board action was anticipated. 2:44:03
Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →
Item by item (8)
- Opening and schedule 8:26
- Political activities on school property 8:46
- Two board members brought the amendment, and they said topics that are not bipartisan should not be discussed on school campuses. 8:46
- One board member proposed a form for elected officials who want to visit schools and said the form was not meant to deny anyone. 15:19
- Patricia Rendon said state statute lets any school board member or elected official visit a school in their district at any time without notice, and a staff member said the statute covers board members and legislators whose schools are in the district where the member lives, who could not be required to fill out a form. 19:29
- Attendance policy revisions 1:00:37
- A staff member said the board approved most of the attendance policy on July 21st and that it returned with changes suggested by Lynn Gray. 1:00:57
- A staff member described interventions that must occur at 7 tardies and a tardy intervention plan at 14. 1:05:16
- One board member said the language should not be limited to grades 6 through 12, and a staff member said the reference to secondary schools grade 6 through 12 on line 62 would be removed and the policy linked to the student code of conduct. 1:11:33
- Threat management policy update 1:21:12
- A staff member said the update reflected state changes, including parent notification, progress monitoring for mental health services, a state portal and transfer of records within 5 school days. 1:21:42
- Jessica Vaughn asked what families are told after a threat assessment, and a staff member said about 90% of threats are low-level and unfounded and that information goes to parents when a threat has validity. 1:29:46
- One board member said they were adamantly against creating success centers for elementary students and wanted the board to discuss it first. 1:49:18
- Athletic participation fees for non-enrolled students 1:49:46
- A staff member said a state bill gives school boards the option to charge a participation fee of up to $400 for private school and PEP students in public school athletic programs, and that it does not include charter schools or homeschool students. 1:50:19
- Jessica Vaughn asked whether non-enrolled students could take team spots, and a staff member said they already can try out and could take an enrolled student's place if they make the team. 1:53:54
- One board member asked to add to the policy how the district would verify whether students are receiving or not receiving the funds, and said the district can verify with Step Up. 1:57:58
- Patriotic displays in schools 2:03:21
- A presenter said Florida Statute 1003.44 requires each district school board to adopt rules on displaying the state motto, In God We Trust, and certain portraits at each public school in the district. 2:03:52
- Another presenter said state funding covers printing of the portraits and frames, and the district applied before the September 15th due date. 2:04:49
- A speaker announced a lunch break before the afternoon session. 2:05:43
- Charter school improvement plan 2:43:27
- A staff member said state statute requires a charter school that receives a D or F to present its school improvement plan to the board, and another staff member said no board action was anticipated. 2:43:34
- Strategic plan draft 3:43:55
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
Other meetings
Other meetings of this board
Video: posted by the district as “School Board Workshop September 29, 2026”