Moniteau School Board on Monday pushed through another wave of policy updates, all of which revolved around recommended Title IX changes.

In addition to the Title IX updates, which deal with sexual harassment in schools, the board voted on five other updates to policies regarding hazing, bullying and cyber bullying, dating violence, educator misconduct, and maintaining professional-to-student boundaries.

District solicitor Andrea Parenti said the updates to the other five policies incorporated the changes made in Title IX, allowing for clear connections between the policies.

Board chairman Michael Panza said the board was following recommendations by the Pennsylvania School Board Association, to which the district belongs.

“They've recommended that we review and replace policies for the recommendation of the state,” Panza said. “All of them are for the protection of our children, now and long-term.”

The Title IX changes took center stage in the discussion between board members before the vote.

Board member Linda Dillaman said while the Title IX updates provide more needed protection, they can also create more restrictions and make other tasks more difficult.

“I think it's probably a good thing, but I think there's a lot of ramifications involved with it,” Dillaman said.

In May, the U.S. Department of Education issued new Title IX regulations extending new protections against sexual harassment in schools and providing further protection of student rights, including the right to due process. The association made its recommendation in July.

The school board had tabled the second reading of the two Title IX policies, one concerning students and the other regarding staff, at its last meeting because the draft needed to be corrected.

The motion passed 8-1 to approve all of the changes with board member Randy Armagost as the lone dissenter.

Armagost said he voted no only because the policies were state-mandated, and he believed in the board having a larger role in its own policy updates, rather than taking recommended ones without questions or alterations.

“They're all policies mandated by the state,” he said. “More people need to look on it and make their own decisions.”

Armagost said his belief that not every recommendation needs to be followed bled into his decision to vote against another measure Monday night.

The board approved a resolution 7-2 supporting the association's call for changes in how cyber schools operate under the rules of the U.S. Department of Education.

“We just wanted to go on the record as saying we support PSBA in the regard,” Panza said.

Board member Michael Baptiste joined Armagost in voting against the measure. He said his standing as a business owner guided his decisions. He said government interference with cyber schools could create disincentives against future development in the marketplace of ideas.

“I believe we're still a capitalist nation,” he said. “I'm not going to vote on a policy that takes money out of a great idea.”

Panza told the board about his own experiences with charter schools and cyber schools. He said these types of schools don't operate on the same rules, which could have a large impact in enrollment and financing for public education.

“I agree with you that enterprise is a good thing, but it's not a level playing field,” Panza said. “Charter schools are not a level playing field.”

Monday's meeting featured multiple discussions about these issues, but the night began with a moment of silence for former English teacher and superintendent Eugene Gatty, who died Nov. 1.

“He will be missed,” said Panza, following the silence.