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State law pushes Coffee County School Board to adopt district phone policy; principals to work with board policy committee
Summary
The Tennessee legislature passed a law (House Bill 932) requiring local school districts to adopt wireless device policies; Coffee County's board scheduled a policy committee meeting to draft a local rule and consult secondary principals.
Coffee County School Board members discussed a new state requirement (House Bill 932) that directs local boards to adopt policies restricting students' use of wireless communication devices in school. The board reviewed a sample policy used by Warren County and agreed to send the issue to the board's policy committee for drafting and principal input.
What the state law requires: The new law amends Tennessee code 49, chapter 6, and directs every local education agency to adopt a wireless communication device policy covering phones, smart watches and gaming devices. The statute permits exceptions for students with medical needs or individualized education programs (IEPs) that list a device, and requires districts to publish the policy on their website and to create a process for contacting parents during an emergency even if students do not have use of devices that day.
Local reaction and process: Board members saw a Warren County model that collects devices in locked pouches and uses magnet releases for emergencies. The Warren model uses graduated consequences (confiscation, parent pick‑up, after‑school detention) and reported reduced classroom distraction, bullying and social media incidents. Several board members urged that secondary principals be included in drafting the local rule because enforcement and logistics differ at middle and high school levels. The policy committee set a special meeting on May 5 to draft the local policy and invited principals to attend.
Logistics and costs: Committee members discussed pouch procurement costs (vendor quotes around $25 per pouch were mentioned) and the possibility of installing magnetic unlock stations; one vendor estimate for a larger implementation and equipment was described as substantial for whole‑school installations. The board advised staff to circulate the Warren County policy and collect principal input before the May 5 policy committee meeting.
