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UCPS board fast‑tracks state‑mandated student cell‑phone policy; parents voice safety, advocacy concerns
Summary
The Union County Public Schools Board of Education fast‑tracked a state‑mandated policy on student cell phones and wireless devices, approving the measure 8–1; the vice chairman cast the only dissent.
The Union County Public Schools Board of Education voted to fast‑track a new policy on the use of cell phones and wireless devices, approving the committee’s recommendation by an 8–1 margin. Board member Mister Tucker made the motion; Miss Green seconded it. The vice chairman cast the lone dissent.
The policy was brought forward as a response to state legislation, board members said. A board member told the meeting, "It's a law now. It's not us. We didn't do this at all," indicating the policy stems from the North Carolina General Assembly rather than a local initiative.
During public comment, parent speakers raised concerns that an across‑the‑board ban on cell phones would prevent students from contacting parents during emergencies and would be particularly harmful to families who rely on phones for communication. Jen Sanders said parents should be allowed to keep phones available for urgent contact: "I will not allow you to take the ability to have my children call me in the most desperate and terrifying moments of their lives." Another commenter, Reagan Sharp, said the board should also advocate publicly for teachers and oppose funding shifts away from public schools, and warned that Medicaid cuts and counselor shortages would harm student safety and mental health.
Board discussion acknowledged the tension between classroom management and parental communication. Reverend Cabatric proposed that the board draft a public statement expressing its position on state policy and on funding decisions that affect teachers and services; the chair asked Cabatric to draft language for future consideration.
The board recorded no changes to local disciplinary procedures at the meeting beyond fast‑tracking the state‑mandated policy; Superintendent Jay Jones and other board members said many local schools already enforce similar rules but that the state action formalizes a uniform approach.
Action summary: the board approved fast‑tracking the cell‑phone policy, 8–1 (motion by Mister Tucker; second by Miss Green). Reverend Cabatric was asked to draft a public statement on funding and policy concerns for future board action.
