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Niagara Falls board adopts internet-enabled device ban, orders 3,500 storage pouches
Summary
The Niagara Falls City School District board voted July 31 to adopt a policy banning internet-enabled devices during the school day, approving storage procedures, discipline steps and communication tools; the state provided $10.90 per secondary student toward the work, a sum the district says falls far short of estimated costs.
The Niagara Falls City School District on July 31 adopted a policy that prohibits students from using internet-enabled devices during the school day and sets a districtwide system for storing and securing those devices. The board waived the usual 30-day tabling period and approved the policy in a roll call vote.
The policy requires students in preK–6 to keep devices in a personal ‘‘Yonder pouch’’ or in their cubby or locker for the school day. For grades 7–12 the district ordered 3,500 Yonder pouches to be issued individually; magnets and locked cabinets will be installed at designated locations in schools to secure pouches while students are in class. Superintendent Tony Lohrey said the district expects the magnets and other hardware to be installed within about two weeks.
The policy also defines communication alternatives for parents and guardians. District offices, the school clinic and the public address system remain available; the district will add Remind, a text-based messaging app linked to PowerSchool rosters, so teachers and parents can exchange…
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