Lawrence school board members on Monday will consider final approval of a new bell-to-bell personal electronic device ban, hear an overview of school finance and budget basics and more.
Board members at their last meeting gave initial approval to the new personal device policy that will bring the district into compliance with state law. Read more about that and see the complete draft in the article at this link.
Exceptions will apply for students with an IEP or Section 504 plan and for students whose use has been approved by a licensed physician as medically necessary.
Superintendent Jeanice Swift said during the July 27 meeting that principals will develop the details of implementation, and the guidance was still being finalized.
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It was unclear from available documentation on the agenda as of Sunday afternoon whether there have been any changes to the draft policy or guidance between the last meeting and Monday’s.
The board will also consider approving changes to its policy on staff online activities.
“The updates distinguish between public, one-way communication used to share school information and prohibited two-way or private interactions with students through social media platforms,” according to the meeting agenda. “They also reinforce the expectation that employees use board-approved communication tools for official district business while continuing to permit appropriate instructional and educational communications through district-approved platforms.”
The policy draft was not included in the agenda.
• Budget and back-to-school updates: The board will hear from Cynde Frick, executive director of finance, an “overview of school finance and budget basics in preparation for the upcoming 2026/27 budget decisions.”
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Swift will also share an update on back-to-school preparation. (In case you missed it, here’s an article on when school starts, when breaks are scheduled and more for the 2026-27 school year.)
There was no further information, reports or attachments included with the meeting agenda as of Sunday afternoon.
• Alarm.com tax breaks: The school board will also consider approving a 10-year, 80% property tax rebate for security company Alarm.com, which is developing the space at 714 Vermont St. into Class A office space.
Susie Carson, director of economic development for the city, and an attorney and architect for the project will present to the board, according to the agenda. The agenda did not include information about the estimated impact on the district’s share of property taxes.
The Lawrence City and Douglas County commissions have already signed off on the tax incentives. Read more in the article at this link.
• Consent agenda: As part of the consent agenda — a list of items that are generally considered routine and approved with one motion unless a board member or the superintendent asks to pull an item for discussion — board members will consider several expenditures, including authorizing up to $2.225 million for contracted providers of special education services that are mandated under state law.
Other expenditures include $400,000 for renewal of PowerSchool software; $256,491 for modifications to ductwork at the district’s central offices; $33,763 for emergency repairs to the generator at Billy Mills Middle School, $76,000 to replace classroom rugs for grades pre-K through five, and more.
They’ll also consider donating 180 square feet of property easement near Liberty Memorial Central Middle School — a 12-by-15-foot area — to the city for use with the redesign of Massachusetts Street between 14th and 23rd streets. (Read more about the project at this link.)
Meeting info
No general public comment period is listed on the meeting agenda. This meeting will be the 16th in a row without general public comment on the agenda.
The board hasn’t heard public comment since Nov. 17. However, Bob Byers, selected as board president for the 2026-27 school year, said during the July 13 meeting that he would like to revisit possibly bringing public comment back to the agendas.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. Meetings are open to the public, livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@USD497, and broadcast on Midco channel 26.
See the full meeting agenda at this link. See ways to contact the school board at lawrencekstimes.com/contact-usd497bd.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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