Student board members report mixed reaction to new personal-device policy

Student board members from Sutherland and Mendon high schools updated the Pittsford Central School District Board of Education on student response to the district's new personal-device policy and related start-of-year changes.
Students said many classmates have adjusted to not having phones during the school day but raised consistent complaints about the reliability of district-issued laptops and the loss of personal headphones for studying. "Phones is probably the last on the list," a student board member from Mendon High School said, adding that frustration centers on school laptops that sometimes fail to work and on losing the ability to listen to music while studying. A student board member from Sutherland High School said the library staff have been "really good with helping us get tech issues getting dealt with and getting people back on track."
The Mendon student also described logistical differences in how students now access Infinite Campus: grading updates are still available but are slower to check on district devices because students remain signed into their personal phones more readily than on shared laptops. "You do get notifications on your phone; that's a little harder to do on your laptop," the Mendon student said.
Board members and administrators asked follow-up questions during the meeting about how students felt about the policy and whether instructional disruptions had occurred. The Sutherland student noted teachers have provided accommodations when devices fail, citing an example of a paper quiz used when an online quiz could not be completed.
Discussion-only items: students described social effects they had observed, including more use of agendas, more in-person socializing, card games in the cafeteria and decorated lockers. They also reported that some clubs are already active and that link-crew activities are planned to ease the transition for freshmen.
No formal board action was recorded on the device policy during the meeting.
The students' comments also briefly referenced construction and other school-specific changes that are separate operational issues.
Looking ahead, board members thanked the student presenters and invited them to return with classroom visits or updates."