Weslaco ISD to Adopt Policy Aligning With HB 1481: Students Must ‘Put Devices Away’ During Instructional Day
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Summary
Superintendent’s office said the district will present a local policy for trustees on Aug. 11 to implement House Bill 1481; district will allow students to carry phones so long as they are put away during the school day but is awaiting Texas Education Agency guidance due Aug. 7 for finer details such as lunch and high‑school exceptions.
WESLACO, Texas — Weslaco ISD trustees heard July 31 that the district will bring a local policy to the board on Aug. 11 to implement House Bill 1481, the state law limiting student use of personal communication devices during the instructional day.
Dr. Rivera told the board the law’s intent “is real simple” — to maintain focus on learning and minimize disruptions — and that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was expected to issue additional recommendations on Aug. 7. Pending that guidance, district staff said the plan is to allow students to carry phones provided devices are put away during the school day.
“School day starts, device is put away. School day concludes students can have their devices,” Dr. Rivera said. He noted TEA and the commissioner’s recent communications emphasized a straightforward local enforcement approach: put devices away during instructional time. The district also said the law provides exceptions for medical needs, academic requirements and specific advanced-course verifications.
Trustees asked for clarifications on boundaries such as lunch and passing periods. Board member Ben Castillo asked whether students could use devices before school and after school; Dr. Rivera responded that students are generally allowed to use devices before and after the school day but cautioned that the law defines the instructional day broadly. Dr. Rivera said he has discussed the matter with high‑school principals and expects some flexibility for upper‑grade courses that may require phones for instruction.
The district’s timeline: staff will seek a policy draft from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and present it to trustees at the Aug. 11 meeting; school begins Aug. 18. The administration said it will notify parents and principals of any campus-level allowable variations, but emphasized the district’s preference for consistency across elementary, middle and high school levels.
No policy was adopted at the workshop; the discussion was informational. The board directed staff to provide a proposed local policy at the Aug. 11 meeting and to brief principals and parents before the Aug. 18 first day of classes.