Student safety in terms of technology is part of key additions in Alvin ISD’s newest handbook, which was approved by the board of trustees on Aug. 13 for the upcoming 2024-25 school year.

What you need to know

While a vast amount of policies have remained the same from the 2023-24 student handbook, the new handbook includes new policies about student safety in regard to technology and their respective data, according to district documents.

Some of the new policies the district is instilling to comply with state and federal law include:

• Install a filter that blocks and prohibits pornographic or obscene materials or applications, including from unsolicited pop-ups, installations and downloads, before transferring an electronic device to a student to be used for educational purposes.
• Block or filter students’ internet access to pictures that are obscene, contain child pornography or have been determined to be harmful to minors in accordance with the Children's Internet Protection Act.
• Require direct and informed parental consent for a student’s use of software, other than software excluded from the consent requirement by law.
• Require direct and informed parental consent for a student’s use of software that conducts mental health assessments or other assessments unrelated to education curricula that are intended to collect information about students.

According to the handbook, other technological clarifications include the following:

• A section was added in regard to grading consequences for academic dishonesty, including cheating or copying the work of another student or committing plagiarism. Examples include the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence, or AI, such as ChatGPT, as well as unauthorized communication between students during an examination.
• A policy was added within the cellphone section in which students are strictly prohibited from using cellphones to capture video or images during a physical altercation.

What else?

The 2024-25 student handbook also included a detailed section of warning signs of child abuse, neglect, trafficking and other maltreatment of children.

According to district documents, the section includes signs for:

• Physical abuse, such as frequent injuries, including bruises, cuts, black eyes or burns without adequate explanations
• Sexual abuse, such as extreme fear of being alone with adults of a certain sex
• Emotional abuse, such as severe depression, anxiety or aggression
• Neglect, such as consistent lack of personal hygiene that poses a health risk

Another policy regarding safety includes an additional section for student identification. The 2024-25 handbook said all students from pre-K to 12th grade will receive an identification card for the academic year, and they will be required to wear their student ID card while on campus, attending any AISD-sponsored function or riding in any AISD vehicle, including buses.

Student ID cards include a student’s name, campus assignment, academic year, grade and student ID number, according to district documents.