Starpoint outlines implementation of new "distraction‑free" Internet‑enabled device policy

Dr. Straub told the Starpoint Central School District Board that the district is rolling out an implementation plan for the state’s new restriction on Internet‑enabled devices during instructional time and answered parent questions about how the rule will work in practice.

The policy ban, Dr. Straub said, covers “Internet enabled devices from bell to bell during the school day.” He said the district has posted a distraction‑free implementation plan on the district website and that the document explains the law, the locally adopted policy and the district implementation team.

The policy clarifies which items count as Internet‑enabled devices, Dr. Straub said: “any smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, non‑school issued laptop, any kind of wearable device, an MP3 player that has the ability to connect to Wi‑Fi or LTE signal.” He added the definition covers devices that are not currently connected but have the technical ability to connect.

The board discussion included operational details. Dr. Straub said the district plans to purchase secure storage “safes” for main offices that will assign students to numbered slots so confiscated devices can be tracked and retrieved at day’s end. He said the safes the district is considering hold up to 32 phones per unit.

On when students may use devices, Dr. Straub said the district intends to treat “bell to bell” as beginning with the first instructional period or homeroom and ending at the final instructional period; for the high school he said that last instructional period ends at 2:20 p.m. Students participating in after‑school activities, athletics or supervised study will be allowed device access once the instructional day is over.

Exceptions, Dr. Straub said, will be narrowly applied and documented. He said students with sensory needs may use noise‑canceling headphones where the devices lack the ability to connect to the Internet, and that medical monitoring devices tied to health needs (for example, diabetes monitors that send alerts) will be accommodated after documentation is vetted.

The board and speakers also discussed career and technical education students who attend BOCES. Dr. Straub said: BOCES expects students to follow its rules while at its programs; students may carry phones to BOCES and must comply with BOCES rules while there, and re‑acquire the phone upon return to Starpoint where district rules apply.

A parent who spoke during public comment urged greater clarity about the precise moment students may retrieve phones on afternoons when BOCES students and other students are moving through common areas. The parent said, “I feel like we should say, don't take your phone out at all till you get on the bus because that can maybe create some dicey situations,” and asked the district to tighten guidance for the change‑of‑period period.

Dr. Straub said the policy will be reviewed and may be revised over time where permitted by state law, noting that the district cannot change requirements that come directly from statute. He said the governor announced $13,500,000 to help districts implement the statewide restriction and that Starpoint’s allocation of that total is $16,900; he added the district has submitted required paperwork but had not yet received the funds.

The board also voted to delete Board of Education policy number 7316 (student use of personal electronic devices, bring‑your‑own‑device). The deletion, Dr. Straub said, reflects that the district’s new distraction‑free, Internet‑enabled device policy has superseded the old BYOD language.

The district said it will publish a Q&A on its distraction‑free website and expects the first weeks of implementation to require adjustments as staff and students adapt to procedures for storage, retrieval and staffing around device management.