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Board discusses no-phone practices, a phone-pouch grant and next steps for policy review
Summary
During new business and public comment the Mount Olive board and administrators discussed a grant for phone-locking pouches and whether to pursue stricter "bell-to-bell" no-phone policies; administrators recommended further study and a policy-committee discussion.
During the meeting's new business and public-comment periods, a board member raised a proposal to pursue a grant for classroom phone-locking pouches and to consider a "bell-to-bell" no-phone policy.
The board member argued that limiting phone access could reduce distraction and help student mental health, citing research that links heavy social-media use to anxiety and reduced concentration. The speaker did not specify a grant name in the spoken record.
Administrators described current building practices: middle-school students are expected to keep phones locked in their lockers during the school day until lunch; high school classrooms use magnetically secured pouches (referred to in the discussion as "Yondr"-style pouches) for phone storage. An administrator said, "we did. I did have a conversation with the middle school and high school administration last week about that very grant... and we talked about our practices." The administrator added the district is "keen on understanding the developmental appropriateness of a phone" and supported continued conversation between schools, families and the policy committee.
Board members and administrators voiced practical concerns about implementation, including staff workload, logistics for unlocking pouches at specific times, and liability if devices are damaged while stored. One board member suggested collecting data on current practices in middle and high schools and recommended that building administrators present to the policy committee, with potential policy work scheduled for December.
Public commenters during the meeting included parents and community members who expressed support for more restrictive phone policies and urged careful coordination with families.
Ending: The board directed further study: administrators will continue conversations with building leaders, gather data on current phone practices, and bring a proposal to the policy committee for discussion later this year.
