Board adopts PK–8 personal electronic devices ban during school hours

The Houston County Board of Education voted (6–0) to adopt a policy restricting student access to personal electronic devices on school property during school hours for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Board members described the policy as intended to “promote a distraction-free learning environment” by limiting access to devices that provide communication, internet access, messaging, video recording, gaming and social-media functions. The policy text presented to the board listed banned items including cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, e-readers, headphones and earbuds during school hours. The presenter described the restriction as applying “bell to bell” (from the start to the end of the school day), though implementation details such as allowed exceptions and storage procedures were not detailed during the public discussion.

Enforcement and discipline: The board stated any student found in violation would be subject to progressive discipline as outlined in the student code of conduct; the board did not change the student-discipline code at the meeting nor provide a disciplinary matrix in the public motion.

Why it matters: The policy affects the district’s youngest students (PK–8) and will change device access during school hours across all schools. The board framed the measure as supporting focused instruction and reducing classroom distraction.

Process and next steps: The policy was approved as presented; district staff are responsible for communicating the policy to schools, parents and students and for creating operational procedures (for example, how devices will be stored or returned) if those procedures are not already in place.