Brevard School Board approves expanded cell‑phone ban; students and parents warn of classroom access problems

The School Board of Brevard County voted to adopt revisions to its wireless communication device policy, extending a ban on student use of personal devices during the school day. The board recorded a 4‑1 roll call vote: John Thomas, Jean Trent, Matt Susan and Megan Wright voted aye; Katie Campbell voted no.

Supporters said removing phones from classrooms and common areas would reduce distraction and improve student engagement. “I have no absolutely no desire to not remove the cell phones from the hallways, from the cafeterias,” board member Matt Susan said during discussion, adding administrators reported louder, more social lunches when students did not use phones.

Public commenters largely opposed the blanket restriction for high school students, warning it would impair educational access for students who rely on personal devices for specialized coursework, dual enrollment and accessibility needs. “For students like me in dual enrollment, science research, or with learning differences, personal devices such as tablets and computers are not distractions. They are lifelines to our education,” Ava Gallo, a Satellite High School junior, told the board.

Speakers raised several recurring concerns: some students and parents said district-issued laptops are too slow or unavailable for out‑of‑class work; music and science students said apps used for tuning, metronomes and proprietary research software are not available on school devices; and parents of students with IEPs said the policy could limit access to audio books or adjustable fonts during non‑instructional times such as lunch. One commenter summarized the conflict as: “Stop calling this a ban on cell phones because it's not. It's a ban on education accessibility.”

Board members agreed to adopt the policy but also said the policy would not be enforced for 30 days, giving the board and staff time to workshop exceptions and implementation details. Several members urged staff to examine technical gaps in district devices and to return with more specific guidance for principals on permitted educational uses.

The policy change affects district definitions of “wireless communication devices” to include phones, tablets and personal laptops and requires devices to be powered off and out of sight from first bell to last bell, with limited exceptions included in the final policy language. Board members and staff noted that the district’s student code of conduct contains discipline procedures and that schools have been communicating consequences to families for implementation. One parent relayed a principal’s description of enforcement steps: “First time the phone gets taken away; second time the parents have to come up and get the phone; third time they get a 3‑day suspension.”

The board also committed to follow‑up work sessions to refine the language around laptop and tablet exceptions, accessibility accommodations, dual‑enrollment students and principal discretion. The policy adoption will be implemented after the 30‑day period to allow those workshops and additional community input.