The Iredell-Statesville Board of Education voted unanimously Oct. 13 to adopt a revised policy that generally prohibits students from displaying or using personal wireless communication devices during the school day, but gives high‑school principals discretion to allow student use during lunch.

Board attorney Dean Shatley presented the draft that defined ‘‘school day’’ as the school’s first class period through the last class period on that school’s posted schedule and added implementation language on device storage and exceptions. After feedback from district high‑school principals and advisory councils, the board included an exception that allows high‑school principals to permit phone use during the lunch period.

Principals who addressed the board said the lunch‑period exception is a workable compromise. Nicholas Allen, principal at Lake Norman High School, said his school records relatively few phone violations so far and that students rely on phones at lunch for coordination with parents, work schedules and some coursework. ‘‘Our students, we…rely on their phones to communicate with their parents for transportation later, to communicate with their jobs,’’ Allen told the board.

Other principals reported small numbers of phone incidents under the district’s existing rules and described practical enforcement systems (lockers, secure containers) for devices turned in after an infraction. Board members emphasized principals may restrict phones for individual students as discipline requires.

Why it matters: The new policy implements the state’s recent guidance on devices and defines school‑day coverage. It leaves discretion to high‑school principals on lunchtime use while maintaining a ban during instructional periods.

What passed: The board approved the revised policy with language that: (1) defines the school day; (2) directs students to store devices in lockers or bags unless a principal’s storage plan is used; and (3) allows high‑school principals to authorize device use during lunch. The motion passed 7–0.