The Northeast Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 7-0 to adopt an updated FNCE(Local) policy that sets district minimum expectations for student cell-phone and personal communication-device use.
Administration presented the update as required by House Bill 1481 and said the policy aims to balance student safety, instructional time and parental needs. Dr. Micah described examples where parents rely on direct phone contact for health and safety reasons and asked principals to account for individual student circumstances with reasonable flexibility.
Tyler Shoesmith, executive director for pupil personnel services, and Dr. Micah reviewed the policy’s minimum requirements: district-wide, devices that are capable of telecommunication (cell phones, smartwatches and similar devices) must be turned off and kept out of sight during instructional time. The policy allows personal devices for noninstructional time (passing periods and lunch) unless a school chooses a more restrictive local rule.
Shoesmith said the law requires the district to define "school day" and the administration’s reading is that school-day instructional minutes should be phone-free; he said the district recommends phones be allowed during passing periods and lunch but not during instruction. He listed proposed disciplinary consequences (parent notification, confiscation, in-school suspension, lunch detention and other measures) and said out-of-school suspension will not be used solely for phone possession violations. The policy excludes district-issued instructional devices from the prohibition.
Trustees asked about exceptions for students with medical or safety needs. Shoesmith said the policy allows documented exceptions based on a qualified physician’s directive. The board discussed enforcement consistency across teachers and campuses and noted principals will lead local implementation and communication to families.
The board approved the policy as presented. Staff said campuses will communicate local expectations, principals will receive implementation guidance, and administrators will continue to monitor consistency and unintended consequences.