NEW ULM– The District 88 School Board on Thursday reviewed changes to the student handbook.

Each year high school staff and administration review handbook to make updates based on feedback received throughout the year. This includes talking to student groups to identify issues that were not previous concerns.

Principal Mark Bergmann said in previous years, a leadership team would review the handbook. This year he incorporated more student groups.

The new PRISM group was allowed to review the handbook to identify equity issues. The student council, FFA and FCLA students also gave input on the handbook.

Several changes involve student driving privileges. The was a sharp increase in driving violations this past year. Bergmann said there were more driving violations during the year than in the last five years combined.

One change is a restriction on parking trailers. It became an issue this year with student bringing in large trailers in the parking lot and taking up four parking spots.

A student with a driving violation will be restricted from using the school parking lot for a period of time. The student can still park on public streets.

Board member Denny Waloch asked if the handbook includes language that addresses equipment at the new Career and Technical Education Center.

Bergmann said the handbook applies to the center. There is language regarding proper clothing in shop classes that carries over to the center. Bergmann added there would likely be other additions that specifically address the CTE Center; especially in terms of driving.

Students driving from the high school to the center have received violations. Bergmann said the district can revoke driving privileges and forcing students to ride the bus.

Superintendent Jeff Bertrang said Tick Tok challenges were likely responsible for some of the violations. Students see driving challenges on the social media site and attempt to replicate it.

A change to the electronic device policy was recommended by Bergmann. Under the previous policy, if a student is using a phone during class or it becomes a nuisance, it would be confiscated.

For the first infraction it would be taken for the remainder of the day. For second infractions, the phone was confiscated until a parent picked it up. For third infraction, the phone was taken away for five days.

The Student Council requested a fine system in which student could get their phone returned a day earlier per $5 paid, with the revenue going to the council’s activity fund.

“Its never sat well with me to charge students for their cell phones back,” Bergmann said. The new policy would allow the return of the phone after the first day, but the student would receive detention after the second violation, and third violation would be a Saturday detention.

Board member Jonathan Shiro appreciated the change because $5 is different for each student. The fine is nothing for a student who can afford to pay. Students without the means to pay were the only ones facing consequences.

Policy language will also be updated to use more inclusive pronoun language. This is most noticeable in the school dress code. In addition to the pronoun changes, student groups did not request dress codes be enforced equally.

Bergmann said students wanted teachers to enforce the dress code the same for everyone. He said this is an area they will address with teachers.

New information was added on incident reports. Students experiencing or are aware of an incident at school that needs to be reported can do so through electronic methods.

All completed forms will be viewed daily by counselors and administrators to determine the next steps. The form is not anonymous, but it will be kept confidential.

At the Student Council’s request, the handbook will include language establishing that end-of-the-year assessments are limited to the semester, not the entire year. Bergmann said he suspected this change was requested to ensure uniformity among how teachers administered tests.

During the board review, Bergmann said the high school students pay attention to what is in the handbooks.

“It is surprising how much the students actually review the handbooks and use handbooks to support positions,” he said. “Students can make a really good argument, and it is a fun conversation with them.”