District 303 to implement districtwide cell phone policy Aug. 13

District 303 Superintendent (name not specified) told the Board of Education on July 14 that the district will implement a unified cell phone procedure for the 2025–26 school year beginning on the first day of school, Aug. 13. "Because we care deeply about our students and staff, we're taking this important step to improve the classroom environment by limiting cell phone use at all levels," the superintendent said while presenting a video describing the policy.

The district says the procedure sets different expectations by level: at elementary schools smart devices must be turned off, silenced and stored away during school hours; at middle schools devices should be silenced and kept in lockers for the entire school day, including lunch, recess and passing periods; at high schools devices must be silenced and placed in a classroom cell-phone caddy during instructional periods but may be used during noninstructional times unless a classroom or school rule prohibits it. The district video played at the meeting added that phones "will not be accessed when students are in the PE and athletic locker rooms," and that students are not permitted to take devices if they leave class to use the restroom.

Why this matters: district leaders said the aim is to reduce digital distractions and support classroom engagement across all schools. The superintendent noted the district has piloted pieces of the approach during the past school year and highlighted outreach already underway, including a video that had more than 25,000 opens and social-media communications being distributed by district staff.

Board members and staff discussed implementation details rather than taking formal action. The superintendent described a multi-step implementation plan: district administrators and building leaders will meet before the school year to align expectations; assistant principals and deans will be convened to coordinate consistent enforcement; an electronic referral system piloted at some schools will document incidents and feed back to teachers; and communication to families will continue through district channels. The superintendent said the district expects progressive responses that begin with teacher requests (for example, placing a phone in the caddy) and escalate to contact with families and dean involvement when needed.

Committee discussion at the meeting addressed smartwatches and enforcement. Board members raised concerns about smartwatches because they also provide notifications but noted the committee decided to focus initial efforts on phones to limit the burden on teachers. The superintendent said the committee "would rather it not be in" but acknowledged smartwatches can also be used as timepieces and said the district will encourage families not to bring them for the purpose of messaging.

The superintendent emphasized the importance of consistency across teachers and buildings, noting that inconsistent application of the procedure would undermine the effort. He also described the district's scale — roughly 12,500 students and about 1,900 students per high school — and said that these numbers make consistent implementation a logistical task but one the district is preparing to support.

No formal board vote was taken on the cell phone procedure at the July 14 meeting; the presentation was a superintendent update and the board agreed to host implementation discussions with staff.