Board adopts new student cell-phone rules and a resolution allowing employees' children to attend tuition-free; policy 5111 set for further review

The Lakota Local Schools Board of Education at a work session on Aug. 5 approved a set of policy changes aimed at starting the school year with updated rules and administrative contacts, adopted a new student cell-phone policy, and approved a resolution permitting children of district employees who do not live in the district to attend tuition-free. Board members also directed policy committee review of the district’s admission policy for staff-family enrollments before the next formal reading. The cell-phone policy was adopted in one reading because administrators said state legislation and timing required the district to have guidance before classes begin. Under the new policy (5136), students may possess personal communication devices on their person but devices must be silent while in district buildings; the district anchors its definition of “instructional time” to the attendance definition used for counting instruction minutes. Staff said that means devices are not permitted for use during class periods (instructional time) and that 7–12 grade students will be expected to place phones in a pouch on the back of their classroom door where the school uses that practice. During non-instructional periods — such as lunch, passing time and other social periods — students may use devices unless the use disrupts the learning environment. Administrators said the policy leans on student-issued devices for classroom instructional activities and contains an explicit safety caveat: students may use cell phones in an emergency as long as such use does not interfere with crisis-management protocols. The district also provided a discipline flowchart to principals; administrators said their goal is to use progressive, teachable responses rather than suspend students for phone violations. Typical steps described in the flowchart are teacher verbal warnings, teacher-to-parent communications, teacher detention where feasible and office referrals; permanent confiscation of personal devices was not recommended by staff. Separately, the board approved a resolution to permit tuition-free attendance by children of full-time district employees who live outside the district. The board and administration discussed a specific, time-sensitive case of a staff member whose child lives in Northern Kentucky; board members asked whether the district would receive state funding for such a student and were told that because the child is out-of-state the district would not get state per-pupil funding for that child. Administrators said the resolution and the policy change would reduce legal ambiguity and allow the district to accept the student without charging tuition in this limited instance. Board members asked administration to take the admission policy (5111) back to the policy committee to clarify the language around staff-member children, tuition and any long-term implications; the board amended the agenda to make policy 5111 a first read and scheduled follow-up policy work before the next regular meeting. Votes and procedural steps recorded at the meeting: the board voted to resend its internal procedural policy 0131 for Aug. 5 only so the single-reading actions could proceed; it then approved a batch of technical policy changes to update compliance-officer names; it adopted the cell-phone policy 5136; and it approved the resolution allowing employees’ children to attend tuition-free. The resolution passed by a 3–2 vote. Several trustees said they were sympathetic to the individual staff member’s circumstances but wanted the admission policy clarified in policy committee before final formal adoption of the 5111 changes. Administrators told the board they plan a broad communications rollout if the cell-phone policy is implemented for the start of school: parent notices, building-level reminders, teacher talking points and loaner devices for classes that may need them temporarily. Staff said they will monitor implementation, track discipline referrals related to phones and return to the board if legislators change the underlying state law.