Board adopts updated code of character, culture and conduct; district sets cell-phone storage and enforcement framework under new state law

Port Washington — After a public hearing and extended discussion on Aug. 5, the Fort Washington Board of Education voted 4–0 to adopt revisions to the district’s Code of Character, Culture and Conduct (policy 51-44) and to revise policy 56-95 (student and personnel personal electronic devices) to align with New York Education Law 2803’s bell-to-bell requirements. The code changes refocus the dress-code section on “fairness, inclusion and dignity” and move enforcement language toward education rather than punishment. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Baer described the revised dress-code language as emphasizing “clarity, dignity, and consistency” and said the committee that drafted the revisions sought to avoid body shaming and to protect identity-related expression while banning attire that promotes hate or discrimination. On student electronic devices, administrators explained the district’s interpretation of New York Education Law 2803 (the recent state statute requiring district control of student device use during the school day) and recommended a practical model for implementation. Dr. Baer and Dr. Feeney said their approach for Schreiber High School will require students in grades 9–11 to secure personally owned internet-enabled devices in lockers during the school day. Seniors may request lockers if available; the administration said there are currently not enough lockers for all seniors. The district said students at middle and elementary levels already follow district-issued-device norms and will continue with those rules. The nut graf: the administration and union representatives argued that the locker-storage approach best balances the law’s intent to support bell-to-bell instruction while offering an operationally feasible, low-cost implementation for high school where personal device use had been most common. Implementation details presented included a tiered-consequence enforcement framework, administrative approval for exceptions (medical needs, translation, IEP/504 accommodations or other instructional exceptions), and plans to include the structure in building student handbooks in plain language. Dr. Baer said administrative approval would be used for specific instructional exceptions rather than leaving decisions to individual teachers. During public comment, representatives from the Fort Washington Teachers Association and paraprofessionals supported the locker approach and urged consistent enforcement; the PWTA noted staff survey input and referenced experience at Weber where a similar approach is already in place. Administrators also noted the district received a $26,500 state grant to support implementation work; they cautioned that the grant would not be sufficient to add enough lockers for all students. The board voted to revise policy 56-95 to mirror the adopted language in policy 51-44 (adding the phrase “backpacks and lockers” to the electronic-device storage guidance) and then adopted policy 51-44. Both votes passed 4–0. Administrators said they would update building handbooks and continue stakeholder communication about implementation, trainings and the Beacon Connect and Infinite Campus rollouts. Ending: implementation will be monitored, administrators said, with the district preparing to evaluate the policy’s effects after rollout and to adjust procedures where necessary.