USDB committee approves student-owned device policy; tighter limits at deaf school, phone use allowed as assistive tech at blind school

The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) standing committee voted unanimously to review and approve a student-owned device policy and forward it to the Utah State Board of Education for final approval. The committee action followed a presentation describing separate approaches for the agency's deaf and blind programs.

The committee chair, Lianne Wood, opened the agenda item and introduced a presentation explaining that USDB considered two model policies — one more restrictive and one more permissive — and chose a restrictive model for the deaf-school program. The policy adopted by the committee requires personal devices to be powered off, set to silent, or stored out of sight from the start of the school day until dismissal, except when a teacher permits device use for instructional purposes.

Nut graf: Committee members and USDB presenters said the restriction is…