Lamar CISD trustees approve ban on phone use during school day; other discipline changes tabled
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Summary
Trustees voted to adopt a districtwide restriction on student phone use during the school day (K–12) as presented and tabled further student discipline updates tied to recently proposed state bills, including vaping-related changes, pending a follow-up workshop.
The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District board on June 17 approved updates to the district’s student code of conduct that restrict student use of cell phones during the school day across K–12, and agreed to delay other discipline changes tied to state bills for additional review.
The board voted 4–3 to adopt the cell-phone-related changes the administration presented. The approved language — presented to trustees as a redline of the code of conduct — would require phones to be powered off and kept in backpacks or lockers during the school day, prohibited inside school buildings, and available for use only at dismissal times. The presentation also included a carve-out for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or medical plan; staff said such students may be permitted to use a device when the IEP or plan requires it.
Deputy Ben Hernandez presented discipline data and the proposed code changes in a committee-developed rubric. He explained that high school accounts for the bulk of electronic-device infractions: "Very few in elementary, middle school, and in junior high, almost two thirds of the infractions are at the high school level," he said while reviewing the district’s misuse-of-electronic-devices category and the graduated set of consequences in place for repeated infractions.
Superintendent Tyrone Nevins and trustees debated how the board should act while related legislation remained pending on the governor’s desk. Staff told trustees the bill commonly referred to in the discussion (House Bill 1481) had not yet been signed but, if enacted, would limit districts’ ability to charge returning-fee penalties. Counsel and administration also outlined possible consequences if the state later designates phones contraband.
After discussion, trustees approved the student cell-phone portion of the proposed code of conduct as presented in a roll-call vote taken in open session; transcript records show the motion carried with four trustees voting in favor and three opposed. The district will remove the $15 retrieval fee for device return if required by state law; trustees asked staff to communicate promptly to families about the change and to prepare for implementation before the school year begins.
Trustees separately voted to table remaining student-discipline code changes that are connected to other pending legislation, notably House Bill 6 (discipline and vaping) and related adjustments to suspension rules and DAEP/ALC placement language. The board directed the administration to develop a recommended offense-consequence table and to bring proposed language or a recommended policy before the board at a workshop before the school year starts.
Trustees and staff emphasized the district plans to communicate changes to parents, students and staff as soon as schedules and implementation details are final. "We will make sure that we communicate this swiftly and clearly to the community and frequently so they have a clear understanding," Superintendent Nevins said.
The district presentation and trustees’ discussion clarified currently proposed enforcement steps and acknowledged that the implementation timeline could change if the governor signs the pending bill before the start of school.
