[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6574348,"mediaKeyId","3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a","parentId",3085970,"title","Wake County board debates narrow definitions and enforcement rules for student cell‑phone policy","audioSeconds",2039,"startMs",623000,"endMs",2662000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a&start=623&end=2662","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a/thumbnail_623000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6574348/North-Carolina/Wake-County-board-debates-narrow-definitions-and-enforcement-rules-for-student-cellphone-policy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574348-eb2835c68656eea7f210ed9cc55242c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770859667&Signature=bey-5u169lPZ-efcwhC5bYpQltwfct9MwLjQ7mn5sRX0pMM89uneoD4ECCF6q6i0N4EfuzYKIelgLe4NqQExg7Oy0JMbkSeY26~fuIfeLHD~D3flpvRE6X-FugK-YMCsLR0GB7UaoAAmRuntJZ1J9wmCA6zhy3KPivMJUb1VP1dj9XdSZXH46lwqWI5hIcpuzrM5kgMPghSAgbozEbhNrfk3U7biWz0WAFTs-Xm--vtCxvWeVBjJGkrmtSAIuztsrWEg52xw4QN3hzKmc1KkQSCNd8rmvngIJVNQqLkmw7MUGLEDyPFX8GtgSb5iUs-TqKkUxjk3ABRfU0E1TP1UUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wake County Schools","date","2025-04-22T21:20:06.297Z","article","Wake County Schools trustees spent Tuesday’s work session narrowing choices for board policy 43‑18, the district’s draft policy on student use of personal wireless communication devices, focusing on four decision points: how to define an emergency, how and when staff may temporarily confiscate devices, whether the district should accept liability for loss or damage, and whether devices should be required to be “off and put away” or “silent and put away.”

The discussion began with Dr. Julie Crane, staff presenter on the policy, explaining the district had prepared two options for each question after the policy generated extensive debate at the March Policy Committee. \"These are 4 topics that generated much discussion in [the] March Policy Committee meeting,\" Crane said, noting the board had less than 30 minutes to work through them.

Board members quickly coalesced around giving school staff discretion rather than adopting an extremely narrow statutory‑style definition of emergency. Under option B — the staff‑discretion approach — administrators could authorize brief device use when there is a “reasonable and legitimate need to communicate with someone outside the school during the instructional day.” Ms. Mahaffey, board member, said she favored \"the flexibility that option b has,\" adding it would allow staff to meet individual student needs that do not fit formal plans such as IEPs.

Trustees pressed for clarity on how site‑level discretion would be applied consistently across 198 schools. \"If the policy's gonna be there, let's make sure that it's consistent, not just from all 198 schools, but all of our teachers as well,\" said Pastor Swanson, board member, raising concerns about teacher‑to‑teacher variation in enforcement.

On confiscation, staff presented two approaches: a district‑wide standard that sets rules for when devices may be temporarily collected and returned, or site‑based rules that leave the details to each school. Several trustees, including Mr. Hershey, board member, and Ms. Mahaffey, said they preferred a district standard (option A) for consistent enforcement. Ms. Mahaffey suggested a pragmatic practice she’d seen, where teachers place a phone in a sealed paper bag and keep it on the student’s desk to avoid liability for damage.

Liability was a key sticking point. The draft policy’s option A stated the district is not liable for theft, loss, or damage of student devices; option B added an exception making the system responsible if damage or loss occurred while the device was in district custody. Chair Haggerty asked whether the board could use policy to fully waive exposure to legal action. \"We can't necessarily overturn civil law just by a policy,\" he said, and asked staff to get legal advice. Several trustees said they wanted counsel to review the liability language before a final decision.

Trustees also debated device status when not in use. Option A would require devices to be turned off and put away so dependent devices and location services would be inactive; option B would require devices to be silent and put away while allowing dependent devices such as smartwatches or earbuds to remain connected. Mr. Hershey argued the silent/put‑away approach was more realistic to enforce: \"Most of them are not going to turn it off, and we're not checking a hundred thousand cell phones every day to ensure they're off. That would be a ridiculous waste of time.\" Others pointed to classroom instructional uses for phones and asked for clear language that prohibits device use during instruction unless teacher‑directed.

Board members also discussed the external legislative context. Crane and trustees noted House Bill 87 and Senate Bill 55 were moving through the North Carolina General Assembly; the Senate’s version would require devices be turned off during instructional time and the Senate had placed a similar provision in its budget proposal. \"By seeing the Senate put this provision in their budget… it shows they're going to fight for that language,\" Crane said.

Board members directed staff to return to the Policy Committee for a revised draft at the committee’s April 29 meeting that reflects the direction they gave: favoring staff discretion for emergencies, district guidance for confiscation with clear procedures, further legal review on liability, and clearer prohibitions on device use during instructional time. Crane said staff would bring back a revised draft for that meeting and would also share concerns with the state council charged with developing best practices for phone‑free policies.

Why this matters: The board’s decisions will shape classroom management, student access to communication in urgent personal situations, staff liability exposure, and how the district complies with a fast‑moving state legislative environment. The policy will also affect day‑to‑day operations across nearly 200 Wake County schools.

Board next steps: Trustees expect a revised draft at the April 29 Policy Committee meeting and legal clarification on the liability language before formal adoption proceedings begin.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-04-22 Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Wake County Schools trustees spent Tuesday’s work session narrowing choices for board policy 43‑18, the district’s draft policy on student use of personal wireless communication devices.","taxTitle","Wake County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14083,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6574339,"Wake County board weighs tradeoffs to restore dental coverage, maintenance funds and protect school positions in 2025‑26 budget",1324,4111000,5435000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a&start=4111&end=5435","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a/thumbnail_4111000.jpg","/articles/6574339/North-Carolina/Wake-County-board-weighs-tradeoffs-to-restore-dental-coverage-maintenance-funds-and-protect-school-positions-in-202526-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574339-2d9983cdac1f82465ab2cc5e87e2a944/orig.mp4?Expires=1770859667&Signature=GECGXVwCbcZPjoghMy5mRme~DO0KHp2L2YreY97qSaqcBaU~t6HXbZCzrcFSo~vhQz5OcmTT5eqsC9Hq-vyVb~VnCAQWEPiEiwLq~W9vUjwrsFayBg0jQnPLA0SI3IWbcOSCZZapKfhaFWytHE6juQm7EWj84vpQzFJoywfPUPf4NGqxGfyRh8XU0OOjHxaypKiq-iNb2OagHkFiiDEMG2Bki51LnLcQvZtTgl1bG1~Gn008ullJDJ6vWAS86WG7ZlcxT3tODzl4yp5EzHFqiLqM-~dtQrxsm~K2TJKxDKiw-m5MdJ1Hx1vmIYZKlOb2-0YAjffaY4PG7AeKzdJb2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Trustees at Wake County Schools’ April 22 work session reviewed staff responses to board budget questions, considered alternatives to the superintendent’s proposed 2025‑26 operating budget, and debated several tradeoffs for preserving staff and school services.

Terry Penzio and David (staff leads for finance) summarized a long question‑and‑answer packet posted online. The staff Q&A clarified that a modest adjustment to restart school funding and school supplies would not fully offset a proposal to reinstate the employer contribution for dental insurance. \"If we were to reduce the funding for the restart schools from $5,000,000 to $4,000,000 and decrease the supplies budget for schools from $60 to $55 per student, that would be $1,800,000 and short of the $2,500,000 needed to reinstate employer dental contributions,\" staff said.

Board members explored multiple combinations of restorations and repurposing to keep the county appropriation request at $40,300,000. Staff offered a menu of possible offsets: identify alternate funding sources for roughly 15 coordinating‑teacher positions (estimated savings about $1,800,000), adjust district HVAC set points by one degree (estimated $500,000), and repurpose $1,000,000 from the community‑use carryover balance to backfill local budget needs (including volunteer background checks and school utility costs).

Mr. Nieder (budget staff) told trustees the net effect of reinstating both the dental premium and certain maintenance and grounds allocations would require roughly $3,100,000 in repurposed funds. \"If the board is desirous of keeping the increased county appropriation at $40,300,000, we have to identify $3.1 million of budget repurposing,\" he said.

Several trustees strongly opposed cutting positions or resources that directly support instruction. \"I'm in complete opposition of the 15 positions,\" said Ms. Rice, board member, referring to the proposed coordinating‑teacher reductions. Others urged caution about touching restart funding because it supports historically underperforming schools. Ms. Gordon, board member, said positions that \"closely impact students are nonnegotiables,\" and asked the board to prioritize preserving staff who work directly with students.

Supporters of targeted repurposing pointed to the district’s central‑office ratios and the need to balance school resources with central supports. Finance staff noted that central services represent about 6% of the operating budget but account for 38% of proposed reductions in the superintendent’s draft. Staff also emphasized that some vacancies do not translate directly into savings in a system where positions are hard to fill or are converted to contract dollars.

Trustees discussed the local supplemental pay (the local supplement) that the district pays on top of the state salary schedule. Staff explained the proposed budget assumed a 3% supplement increase tied to expected state salary action; the board could opt to reduce or defer the supplement increase, but this would have compensation and recruitment implications. Board members also noted that the final state budget remains uncertain and could alter local funding needs.

The board identified several near‑term process steps: trustees may continue to submit written questions (with a tight turnaround for the next meeting), staff will present an Infinite Campus update on May 20, and the board will aim to reach consensus at the April 29 finance committee/work session so that a proposed budget can be adopted on May 6 and submitted to the county by the May 15 statutory deadline.

Why this matters: The board must balance competing priorities — employee compensation, school‑level services that directly affect students, facilities and central‑office capacity — while complying with statutory timelines and awaiting an uncertain state funding outcome. Choices this spring will determine whether the district restores dental contributions, how the district funds maintenance and operations, and whether school staff positions are preserved.

Board next steps: Staff will compile the scenarios requested by trustees and distribute them to the board; trustees will continue public outreach with a regional hearing scheduled and will seek to reach consensus by the April 29 work session ahead of a May 6 proposed‑budget adoption.

","During a lengthy work session, trustees reviewed staff Q&A and proposals on the superintendent’s 2025‑26 proposed operating budget and discussed options to restore a dropped dental employer contribution, reverse reductions in maintenance and operations, and avoid cutting coordinating teachers and school resources.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6574343,"Wake County completes Oracle 12.2 upgrade; staff reports successful phase‑1 rollout of twice‑monthly pay with phase‑2 delayed to fall",741,2779000,3520000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a&start=2779&end=3520","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085970-ac80671e9d23e576acc2066cf95a547a/thumbnail_2779000.jpg","/articles/6574343/North-Carolina/Wake-County-completes-Oracle-122-upgrade-staff-reports-successful-phase1-rollout-of-twicemonthly-pay-with-phase2-delayed-to-fall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574343-c4a3dc827f836d160a5a02fd31fd7dba/orig.mp4?Expires=1770859667&Signature=NIrPkASK9oR-lFJGifiFy7OTjEFmFbdoEdcdACujDpvNZrcvoD3IiNbP2AfNWHARrMYxi73UQEcGnzdsK9L07akKgHpN~zuOPeYHuMBQahPbOLNFznvogC-m6yLTmym-DVEUyRMdN7d7bfbqJ7z2s64TaAj1VZwwm8WzxTW1uZDW4WzkfhsSO9MKEAfwsU-6t~e7UL390KrpFBZIx~j~S4KCv1CUMowGZ~l0akylJosgUermX0scqNQKlJCg9AewqYvzX~X3lc7gyjbQeRuqV4402Ft8tID8P4dNcYqKJVs5Y-G5EWuUiM5zQ-~jL1rgxtJKJ5IzMMvV2QWa8gMYQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District technology and payroll leaders updated Wake County Schools trustees Tuesday on the completion of an Oracle enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrade to Oracle Release 12.2 and the district’s rollout of twice‑monthly payroll for some employee groups.

Sashi, a district presenter for technology services, told the board the upgrade addressed an end‑of‑life Oracle environment and eliminated roughly $250,000 in annual extended‑support fees the district had been paying for earlier Oracle versions. \"We don't have to do that anymore,\" Sashi said, adding the upgrade reduced operational compliance and hardware risk.

Jeff, a technology project lead, said the district installed new servers, storage, networking and operating systems for the upgrade and met a January 1 go‑live target. \"We met all of the business technical objectives for this upgrade,\" he said, and reported the system is now in a stabilization period with printing and performance optimizations underway.

The presentation covered the district’s phased move to twice‑monthly pay. Phase 1, which went live in January, included bus drivers, safety assistants in transportation, school‑based Child Nutrition Services (CNS) staff and substitute teachers. On the first twice‑monthly payroll about 3,390 employees were processed and approximately 49 employees had payroll errors (about 1.4% of those processed); staff said the errors were swiftly corrected in the next payroll cycle.

District leaders said many of the initial payroll issues were related to timing, keying differences and payroll formulas in Oracle that required adjustments. They have added validation checks to reduce error rates and are continuing collaborative work among tech services, accounting and compensation teams.

Phase 2 — which would include a broader set of hourly and classified positions (other than certified staff, school administrators and certain central office employees) — had been targeted for a July 1 go‑live. Staff recommended postponing phase 2 until the fall of 2025. Reasons cited: (1) the district is migrating student data to a new student information system, Infinite Campus, with a July 1 go‑live; (2) many year‑round schools begin their school year in July; and (3) the district wants time to roll out an online time‑entry module and gather feedback from phase 1 employees. The postponement is intended to reduce concurrent learning curves for school and central staff.

Board members asked several operational questions. Mr. Hershey praised staff work and supported the delay. Trustees asked whether employees in phase 2 could opt out of twice‑monthly pay; staff said widespread opt‑outs would create operational complexity and a two‑tier payroll practice would be an operational nightmare. Staff also said an online time entry tool, targeted for fall implementation, will mitigate but not eliminate the additional workload of proofing payroll twice per month.

Staff said they will bring periodic updates to the board over the summer, including an Infinite Campus update on May 20 and follow‑up reports on online time entry and phase‑2 planning. The district also surveyed employees in phase 1 (bus drivers, CNS staff and substitutes) to gather feedback and said it will share results with the board.

Why this matters: The Oracle upgrade reduces operational risk from an aging system and enables payroll modernization, but the district must balance system changes with school‑year calendars and other large IT transitions to avoid disruption to payroll and school operations. Delaying phase 2 reduces the chance of overlapping major changes during the summer months when year‑round schools and Infinite Campus go live.

Board next steps: Staff will present updates on Infinite Campus on May 20, report survey results from phase‑1 employees, and return to the board with a revised implementation plan and timetable for twice‑monthly pay for remaining employee groups.","Wake County Schools told the board the district finished an Oracle ERP upgrade to release 12.2 and implemented a twice‑monthly payroll for a subset of employees in phase 1; staff recommended postponing phase 2 to fall 2025 to avoid overlapping large IT and calendar changes (Infinite Campus go‑live and year‑round school starts).","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Wake County board debates narrow definitions and enforcement rules for student cell‑phone policy

Wake County board weighs tradeoffs to restore dental coverage, maintenance funds and protect school positions in 2025‑26 budget

Wake County completes Oracle 12.2 upgrade; staff reports successful phase‑1 rollout of twice‑monthly pay with phase‑2 delayed to fall