Brazosport ISD board adopts new personal-communication-device policy and reviews student code of conduct changes from 80th Legislature

The Brazosport ISD Board of Trustees approved an update to local policy FNCE (local) to align with House Bill 1481's ban on student use of personal communication devices during the school day and received a presentation on broader student-code-of-conduct changes prompted by the 80th Texas Legislature.

Why it matters: the policy and code changes affect daily student routines, disciplinary procedures, and campus operations across the district and include statutory-required exceptions and new procedural elements that campuses must implement before the school year begins.

A staff member presenting the policy said the Texas law (House Bill 1481) took effect June 20, 2025, and requires districts to adopt a written policy by Sept. 18, 2025. The locally adopted FNCE (local) restricts students from using personal communication devices during the school day, requires students to store devices as the district designates (examples given: silenced or off and kept in a bag, locker, or backpack), and allows limited exceptions: students with an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan, and cases to comply with health- or safety-related legal requirements. The presenter said the superintendent will develop implementing regulations and will report annually to the board on implementation and compliance.

The board approved the policy after a motion by Board member Donner; the record shows the motion carried. The administration recommended that initial discipline follow a progressive model: a first offense permits the student to retrieve the device themselves; a second offense requires the parent to pick up the device at the campus; repeated violations (third offense) result in parent pickup plus campus-assigned discipline. The presenter noted campuses are developing secure storage practices; Freeport Intermediate uses a safe for confiscated devices in the current year.

The presenter also addressed teacher and staff expectations: trustees asked whether teachers' personal phone use should be restricted to avoid mixed messages. The presenter said teachers are not being banned from phones but that the district expects teachers to be engaged in instruction and not distracted by devices.

On student-discipline changes from the legislative session, staff explained several statutory shifts. Chapter 37 rules now limit district-of-innovation exemptions for positions such as campus behavior coordinator; each campus must designate a campus behavior coordinator. The legislature clarified in-school suspension (ISS) rules: the recent interpretation limiting ISS to three days has been reversed, and districts may assign ISS for more than three days, although a review is required for placements of more than 10 consecutive days. For vaping and e-cigarettes, the law shifted from a mandatory DAEP (disciplinary alternative-placement) assignment for possession to a discretionary DAEP or an option to assign at least 10 days of ISS; district staff said they will apply mitigating factors (self-defense, lack of intent, discipline history, disability affecting culpability, foster or homeless status) when determining consequences.

Staff also explained that confiscated devices left unclaimed for 90 days may be disposed of under Texas Education Code 37.082; parents and guardians will receive reasonable notice before disposal. The presenter said campus administrators and teachers will be trained during the first week of school and that communication materials for parents are prepared pending final board action.

Concerns raised in discussion included how campuses will tag and secure confiscated phones, how many 504/IEP medical exceptions to expect, how emergency notifications to students will be handled without reliance on phones (the district cited alternate systems such as SportsU and email distribution lists), and how ISS assignments will include instructional monitoring to ensure students make educational progress during longer placements. Trustees asked for a separate administrator reference guide to accompany the TASB-model-based code so campus staff have clear guidance for levels of offense and consequence.

The administration recommended the board approve the 2025-26 Student Code of Conduct as presented; the presentation emphasized that the TEA will provide an itemized list of statutory changes to be included in the student-and-parent notifications once that TEA report is received.

Less critical details and implementation: campuses are preparing storage protocols (safes or locked collection areas), parent-communication flyers are ready to deploy after board approval, and the superintendent will issue regulations and an annual implementation report.