The Birdville ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved local policy revisions and the 2025–26 student code of conduct on Thursday to implement state requirements that restrict student use of personal communication devices during the school day.

The action implements recently enacted state law language that the board said it did not have discretion to alter before the start of the school year. Trustees said they supported classroom-level discretion in principle but had to adopt a policy that mirrors the statute until the state issues formal guidance and model policy language.

Why it matters: The change affects middle- and high-school practices for personal devices and establishes specific behavioral rules for students for the coming year. Board members stressed that the law limits local decision-making and that they preferred broader local control over cellphone rules.

What was adopted: The board approved a set of local policy updates prepared by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and moved to adopt the student code of conduct and extracurricular honor code for 2025–26. Trustees and staff clarified that the relevant language means students may bring personal devices to campus but may not use them “bell to bell” during the school day; after the final bell or at designated noninstructional times use is allowed.

Trustee statements: Trustee Chris Drees said, “If I was king for the day ... I would allow kids to use it at lunch. I just don't think that's a big deal.” Trustee Ralph Kunkel and others said the measure was the result of legislative action and that the board had “no choice” given the timing; Trustee Kelvin Dilts and others praised district staff for moving quickly to translate the statute into policy language.

Administration notes: Mr. Baskerville, who presented the TASB first reading, and district staff noted particular changes in FNCE (student conduct) pages and that “bringing” a device to campus is not an offense; the code of conduct treats “use” of a device during the school day as the actionable item. Staff pointed the board to clarifying pages in the code of conduct (page 13 and page 15 numbers cited in the board packet) that were amended to replace “bring or use” language with a focus on “use.”

Formal action: Trustee Chris Davis moved to approve the 2025–26 student code of conduct and extracurricular honor code with the stated wording changes; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Practical effect and next steps: District staff said classroom teachers will retain authority to secure devices in backpacks during the school day and to supervise students’ conduct consistent with the updated district code. District leaders said they expect additional guidance from TEA (Texas Education Agency) and TASB but will implement the local policy as adopted for the start of the school year.