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Board hears plan to expand bell-to-bell cell phone limits to middle schools
Summary
The district plans to tighten cell phone procedures next school year — expanding bell-to-bell restrictions to K–8 and limiting phone use during instructional time for grades 9–12 — with accommodations for students who require assistive technology under IEPs or 504 plans.
Snohomish School District staff told the board May 14 the district will tighten student cell phone procedures for the 2024–25 school year, extending bell-to-bell restrictions to middle school and maintaining instructional-time restrictions for high school.
The change will make the rule K–8 bell-to-bell, with grades 9–12 limited to no phone use during instructional time. Staff said principals and teachers have been preparing school communities and that the shift is intended to set a clear culture rather than to create a punitive enforcement approach.
District staff noted students who require assistive technology for educational or health needs — for example via Individualized Education Programs (IEP), 504 plans or health plans — will be accommodated through school-issued devices or other agreed arrangements so that no student loses required assistive technology access. The staff presentation said the district will continue communication to families to ensure clarity before fall.
Board members and administrators discussed implementation and parent communications; staff said notices would go to families and principals are expected to ensure students know the procedure before school starts. No formal policy amendment was adopted at the May 14 meeting; the board heard the planned change as information and staff will implement the procedure over the summer for the coming school year.
