Office of the Superintendent of Schools
Office of the Chief of Schools
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Approval Of The 2025-2026 Student Code Of Conduct
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This agenda item seeks approval from the board of the 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct (SCOC). Students and parents have online access to the SCOC through the district’s and schools’ websites. Hard copies are also available upon request.
Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 37 requires that a board of trustees adopt a student code of conduct for the district before the first day of school. In addition to establishing standards for student conduct, the SCOC also defines the procedures, protocols, supports, and interventions that must be implemented when an administrator is considering the use of an exclusionary consequence. The content of the SCOC is mainly driven by TEC Chapter 37, recommendations from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), and educational best practices. Discipline-related concerns and recommended revisions to the SCOC that surface throughout the year from staff, parents, and students and any new federal or state law or regulations are discussed and reviewed annually with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) legal department and various other HISD departments.
Each year, the SCOC is updated and published to inform all HISD parents and students of student rights and responsibilities as well as HISD’s expectations regarding student conduct in schools. The SCOC defines districtwide expectations for student behavior and provides means for constructive student-administrator relationships. The SCOC also specifies various disciplinary consequences available to district administrators in response to student misconduct and appeals options available to parents/guardians in response to disciplinary consequences.
The SCOC, which is available in English and Spanish, also provides a foundation for the development and implementation of each campus’ school-based discipline-management system.
Revisions to the SCOC for school year 2025-2026 are based solely on date revisions at this time. The Texas legislative session is expected to make revisions to TEC Chapter 37, and this will necessitate changes to the SCOC. These changes will not be available until after the June board meeting. Therefore, the HISD administration will bring forward a SCOC supplement for approval in August. This supplement will include all substantive changes to the SCOC.
A copy of the 2025-2026 Code of Student Conduct is on file in Board Services.
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STAFFING IMPLICATIONS: |
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THIS ITEM DOES NOT ESTABLISH, MODIFY, OR DELETE BOARD POLICY.
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RECOMMENDED: That the School Board approves the Student Code of Conduct for the school year 2025-2026, effective June 13, 2025.