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FAIRMONT - Multiple handbook changes, including regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI), cell phone usage and dress code, were approved at Tuesday's Fairmont School Board meeting.
On a case-by-case basis, AI could potentially be used for assistance on class assignments at the junior/senior high school level. Principal Chad Brusky said they will be deploying a green/yellow/red matrix starting this year.
"If it’s a green assignment, we encourage you to use AI to quiz yourself or seek deeper understanding," he said. "A yellow is that it can be a resource, but work has to be original. A red assignment is that AI is not supposed to be used at all on the assignment."
Cell phone usage policy has also been changed. Brusky said it used to be that grades 10-12 could still use phones on the understanding that rolling out a no phones allowed in the building policy slate would be coming as the years went on. This year, grades 7-12 will not be allowed to use their cell phones at their lunch table, and grades 7-9 need to keep their phones in their lockers on silent, without using them.
Only students in grades 10-12 can use their phones. Even then, they can only be used at their assigned lockers.
"The reason for the split at 7-9 and 10-12 is the 10-12 has a designated locker bay," Brusky said. "For those supervising, it makes it very easy to say upstairs phones aren’t allowed and not supposed to be on them, even at your locker. Downstairs, we do provide that liberty there."
A progressive discipline system is also being adjusted. First offense warrants a conference with administration; second offense is a conference and guardian pickup of the phone; third offense is a guardian pickup of the phone and required turning over of the phone to the office every day for 10 school days and a fourth offense will require an individualized device plan between the student, their guardians and school administration.
Board Member Michael Edman said he had heard concerns about students trying to eat lunch at their locker or hurry to eat lunch so they can spend the rest of the lunch period on their phones. That is something Brusky and the high school staff have a plan for.
"Lunch, you’re supposed to stay in the commons throughout the entirety of the lunch period," he said. "We do see people down in the locker bay area; we would ask them to go back."
Another change will be the potential requirement of specific footwear for classes such as physical education and career and technical education classes.
In a different area, Edman said he had also heard concerns from students about changes to PSEO, with a more closed-campus feel. He asked if there is consideration being taken regarding students being able to leave campus if they meet certain benchmarks. Brusky said there was a change at the state level regarding this concern.
"Minnesota Department of Education's interpretation of the [statute] rules did create one sentence that says that students can leave campus during PSEO hours," he said. "If they are scheduled for a PSEO hour, they are able to leave campus during that hour."
An expectations list for leaving campus during the school day has been added, including advance notification, reporting to student services and signing out properly. With this, clarification has been instituted where students returning without following this list may be subject to a safety search.
The only major change on the elementary side is the reintroduction and emphasizing of the Parents and Educators Teaming Together group. Principal Michelle Rosen said the group dropped off due to COVID, but now they are looking to bring the group back and re-invigorate it, including via its inclusion in the elementary school handbook.
These changes were approved unanimously by the school board.
In other news:
-- A dog, Hazen, will be added to Fairmont Elementary School this year to assist their owner, School Social Worker Amy Becker, as a therapy dog to provide animal-assisted interventions at school.
-- The tennis courts project, which was the major focus of this summer's improvements to the schools, has officially been completed with a final walk-through done last week.
-- Chelsea Johnson was approved as a new elementary school teacher, and Kaitlyn Freese will be coming aboard as a long-term high school substitute to start the year, from Aug. 31 to Oct. 29, 2026.