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Board adopts revised student cell-phone policy; administration to write procedures for searches and safety exceptions
Summary
After a second reading, the board adopted a revised student telecommunication device (cell-phone) policy that removes a provision allowing staff to search phones, and administrators said they will write procedures addressing safety exceptions and parental involvement.
The Prosser School District Board of Directors approved changes to Policy 32-46 (Students and telecommunication devices) at its Aug. 13 meeting, adopting a revision that removes a clause authorizing staff to search student phones and directs administrators to develop a procedure for handling safety-related phone issues. Administrators said the policy edits focus on increasing student engagement during lessons by limiting phone use during the school day and clarifying differences between elementary and secondary expectations. Board members and student representatives discussed a balance between enforcing phone rules and respecting student privacy. One student asked whether staff could review a phone if texts suggested an imminent fight; administrators said the intent of the prior provision (the clause now proposed for removal, referred to as “g” in the packet) had been to allow staff to act if a student’s phone contained evidence of danger, but they prefer to handle searches through a family discussion and a district procedure rather than leave the authority in policy language. District administrators said they will produce a written procedure describing how phones are to be stored, when staff can require a student to surrender a device and how safety-related content will be handled, including parent notification and involvement. The policy passed on the board’s second reading by voice vote.
