The Pleasant Valley School Board discussed changes to 10 district policies during their workshop meeting Thursday night and added one new policy. The current policies were updated due to the Omnibus Bill that amended the Pennsylvania School Code.

Three of the policies and the new one concern student health and wellness such as bullying and cyberbullying, virtual attendance and wellness checks, height and weight measurements, eating disorder awareness, body mass index, and social media usage.

The policy with the most updating is the one covering bullying — Policy 249.

Superintendent James Konrad said in an interview, “As usual, our focus as a district is to keep our students and staff safe, and the changes proposed in Policy 249 that was revised less than two years ago, add language to bullying to include cyberbullying as well.”

The policy explains artificial intelligence-generated media or modified media as being text, code, images, and audio or video data.

It then goes on to define cyberbullying as “the use of electronic technology or communication, including data, computer software or online platforms regardless of their origin, using a device, system network, Internet service, email, social media or other digital means, including artificial intelligence–generated or modified media. Cyberbullying includes bullying conduct which occurs in a school setting and/or outside a school setting.”

The guidelines for reporting bullying and cyberbullying, and handling of a report are extensive.

A report of bullying or cyberbullying can be made either orally or anonymously in writing, except for district staff. Students are encouraged to use Safe2Say, complete an incident form, or tell a staff member. Staff members are required to report it to the principal or a building representative.

If a staff member witnesses the bullying or cyberbullying or is told about it, then he or she is to report it to the principal or building rep, not investigate it independently.

From there, the principal will encourage the person who reported the bullying or cyberbullying or the victim to complete the district’s form. If those people are unable to complete the district’s form, then the principal will complete it.

The parents or guardians of the students involved will be notified as soon as it’s “practicable.”

If a student involved in the incident would be “at risk of abuse, neglect or other imminent harm,” then the principal will consult the superintendent and the district’s legal counsel, and possibly law enforcement, child welfare and other qualified professionals to decide if parental/guardian notification should be delayed.

The policy addresses threat assessment, discrimination or harassment, and outlines the investigation procedures, findings, the district’s response and corrective action.

The superintendent is required to notify the Pennsylvania Department of Education annually by July 31 of all new incidents. The report must include the total number of bullying and cyberbullying incidents, and the number of cyberbullying incidents where the use of artificial intelligence-generated or modified media is suspected.

In relation to the other health and wellness policies, Policy 246 covers School Wellness.

Under physical education, the collection of a student’s height and weight must be done in a manner that protects the student’s confidentiality. The calculation of body mass index or BMI is prohibited.

The policy also adds teaching students about social media usage, which includes the mental, psychological and physical effects of social media use, the impacts of social media usage on academic growth and learning, safe use, and personal security and privacy on the devices. Safe use includes the topics of cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and potential human trafficking.

Policy 209 covers Health Examinations and Screenings. The policy gives parents the option to have their children opt out of health and weight measurements, which are done for the purpose of tracking growth patterns.

Policy 204.1 is the new addition to the policies. It governs Virtual Attendance and Wellness Checks.

The policy created standards for the school district to do wellness checks of the students who participate exclusively in it’s virtual instruction for the full school year. The purpose of is to verify attendance and check on the well-being of students.

The wellness checks will be done weekly through visibly seeing the student and communicating with him or her in real time whether in person or through an electronic device. Students may provide an absence excuse when needed, but the wellness check must be done the next day or sometime that week.

All of these policies will be reviewed at the Sept. 24 School Board meeting as the first reading. They will not be up for adoption until the Oct. 22 meeting.