Pasadena ISD board adopts interim policy updates tied to new state laws, restricts personal devices during school day

PASADENA, Texas — Pasadena Independent School District trustees on July 22 approved a set of interim policy revisions and authorized the 2025–26 student handbook and student code of conduct, actions district leaders said are intended to align local rules with several new state laws passed by the 89th Legislature.

The changes include a new prohibition on the use of personal communication devices on school property during the school day under House Bill 1481, revisions to admissions policy (FD Local) and student activities (FM Local), and an update to language on participation by students not enrolled in the district. Board members unanimously approved the package and also authorized district staff to make further adjustments as the Texas Education Agency issues additional guidance.

The revisions matter because they change what students may carry and how districts must treat non-enrolled students who seek to participate in campus activities. “If the law changes and our policy hasn't changed yet, we're gonna follow the law,” Doctor Lopez said when introducing the presentation, emphasizing that state law supersedes local policy until the board updates its manual.

District staff said the changes implemented the letter of new state requirements while giving administrators time to draft operational regulations. The board prioritized three policies so they would be in place before the start of school: FD Local (admissions), FM Local (student activities) and FNCE Local (student conduct — personal communication devices), along with the handbook and code of conduct. Trustees approved each item by voice vote; five members were present and two were absent.

On personal communication devices, district staff told trustees the policy will ban phones, smart watches and similar devices during the school day except in narrowly defined circumstances. Staff outlined the exceptions recorded in the presentation: devices necessary to implement an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan; devices required for a medical need accompanied by appropriate documentation from a qualified physician; and devices needed to comply with a health or safety requirement imposed by law or campus safety protocols. The administration also said district regulations will prohibit charging a fee to retrieve confiscated devices (the statute disallows fees), will require respectful storage (initially in students' backpacks or purses), and will include a process for confiscation and storage. If a device is not claimed by a parent, staff said the district may dispose of it only after giving 90 days’ notice.

Trustees also heard a change tied to extracurricular absences. Under the revised FM Local language staff recommended removing a district cap on the number of excused absences a student may receive for participation in extracurricular events, and a companion legal policy (FM Legal) will require the district to track those absences to ensure eligibility rules are met.

The board heard that state law amended eligibility for non-enrolled (including homeschool) students’ participation in University Interscholastic League (UIL) or other district activities, changing previously permissive language so participation may now be mandatory for districts that do not adopt a declining policy. The administration said it recommends the district adopt the decline option now; staff noted a family could alternatively enroll in the district or seek participation from another nearby district that chooses to allow non-enrolled homeschool students to take part. The presentation said the district will follow the new law and will bring further policy or regulation changes as TEA or other state guidance is issued.

Trustees and staff emphasized they will notify families about how the rules will operate in practice. “We are going to follow the law as passed by the legislative session,” the administration said, and added that further regulatory details will be shared with parents before school starts.

Board action: trustees moved and seconded each item and approved the policy revisions, the handbook and the student code of conduct. The approvals explicitly authorized future ministerial or conforming changes required by subsequent state guidance.

What happens next: district administrators will draft implementing regulations for the device policy and other changes, share those with campuses and parents, and return to the board if the district needs to adopt additional policy edits when TEA issues clarifying guidance.