Code-of-conduct committee: students largely complying with new cell-phone law, staff urged to model policy

District staff updated the policy committee on implementation of the state cellphone statute and the district’s code of conduct on April 2. The update summarized feedback gathered through a code‑of‑conduct committee that included representatives from every school, teachers, counselors, principals, parents and students.

Ms. Shelly Galloway (elementary perspective) told trustees that elementary schools reported no major issues and that teachers and students generally adhere to the current rules. Middle- and high-school staff who participated were “comfortable with the administrative actions” and asked that the current approach remain in place pending continued review.

Dr. Williams reported he has not received any expulsion recommendations based solely on a single cell‑phone violation. “To date, I haven't had any one kid referred simply for cell phone violations as outlined in the code of conduct,” he said, adding that multi‑offense accumulation sometimes contributes to broader disciplinary recommendations.

Staff said adults’ device use is not covered by the student cell‑phone statute, but principals have been asked to model the expected behavior and to remind staff of device expectations. The committee scheduled a follow-up code‑of‑conduct meeting next month to continue stakeholder feedback.

Why it matters: The state law raised questions about school disciplinary practice and the district sought stakeholder input to confirm whether enforcement was producing unintended disciplinary escalations. Staff reported that, so far, the law’s implementation has not generated expulsion cases based solely on phone possession or use.

Next steps: Staff will continue stakeholder meetings and report back to the committee; the superintendent said staff will include the update in board communications.