Portland board adopts districtwide 'bell-to-bell' cell phone policy after months of debate

The Portland Board of Public Education on June 10 voted to adopt a rewritten and amended version of policy JFCK, narrowing student access to personal electronic devices during the school day and directing district staff to create implementation rules and exception procedures before the fall term.

The vote follows months of committee work, more than a thousand survey responses and extended public comment at the meeting. Chair Lentz framed the board’s approach as process-driven: “Since it has been at the board level, we have done numerous community engagement sessions, with family, parents, community organizations, students, educators, to really try to hear, from as many folks as possible,” she said during the meeting.

Supporters — including substitute teacher Ernest Braun and several parents and community organizers — urged the board to approve a strong restriction, arguing phones are a classroom distraction and that a clear policy would support teachers. “This policy will free our classrooms from the grip of personal technology that is so distracting and so detrimental to learning,” said Ernest Braun, identifying himself as a substitute teacher at Casco Bay High School.

Opponents, many of them students and youth advocates, urged the board to delay or to adopt a less punitive approach, warning about effects on vulnerable students and the need for exceptions. Osgood, executive director of Portland Outright, told the board the policy risked “search and seizure” and could disproportionately harm queer students and students of color if implemented without robust safeguards. Student speakers described use cases — accessibility supports, safety communications, and transportation coordination — and warned that a blanket ban would harm some students. “This policy … relies too heavily on a punitive structure,” said August Chandler, a student and Portland Outright member.

The final policy the board approved keeps the central prohibition: personal electronic devices that are not district-issued “shall not be available or accessible to students for the duration of the school day.” The policy as adopted also: - directs the superintendent or designee to develop rules for implementation and for a limited, documented exceptions process that requires prior written authorization from a building administrator; - requires mechanisms for “reasonable and necessary” communication between students and their families during the school day using district-provided options; and - asks staff to produce procedures for inventorying and providing curricular tools (cameras, calculators, alternate devices) where needed to make the policy workable.

Board members and district staff repeatedly said the policy intentionally leaves operational details to a rules document the administration must draft, review with school leaders, and publish before implementation. Vice Chair Bondo said the amendment was designed to be “broad so that all of those details could be in the rules document,” while Board Member Bridal said the final amendment was written to ensure the district “create mechanisms for reasonable and necessary communication.” Superintendent (unnamed in the transcript) and district staff said they expect to complete drafts of rules and to present implementation materials to principals and the board in the coming weeks.

Public commenters raised implementation costs and practical questions. A youth speaker cited a district estimate that buying student pouches would cost about $200,000; other speakers and board members noted alternative models such as phone hotels, classroom drop boxes or district-issued devices for curricular needs. Board members asked staff to quantify costs and to identify funding sources as part of the rules and rollout plan.

The board instructed staff to consult building leaders, educators and students while finalizing rules. District leaders committed to a multi-step rollout that includes: (1) drafting rules over the summer, (2) discussing them during summer leadership retreats and the August staff institute, and (3) returning to the board with a fuller status update in the fall after initial implementation and school-level feedback. Board Member Lena said she expected schools to return to the board in October with early implementation data.

Votes at a glance - Policy JFCK (student use of cellular telephones and other electronic devices): motion to adopt amended policy (moved by Board Member Opperman; seconded by Board Member Bridal). Outcome: approved by roll call; board members voted in favor; the student representatives recorded several dissenting votes (policy adopted as amended). Notes: board instructed staff to draft implementation rules and exception procedures and to return with updates. - Minutes of May 20, 2025: approved as distributed (no roll-call details provided in transcript). - Personnel: election of administrators (listed in packet): approved by roll call (no dissent recorded).

What the policy does not do yet The board did not adopt implementing rules at the meeting. It removed search-and-seizure language from the policy text and deferred discipline protocols, exception forms and logistical decisions (pouches, lockers, district device issuance) to the superintendent’s rules. Several board members said the rules should tightly limit exceptions and clarify who approves them, while also ensuring access for students with documented medical or accessibility needs.

What’s next District staff will draft the rules this summer and consult school leaders and legal counsel. The administration said it expects to share draft rules with the board and principals before the start of the school year and will provide a status update in the fall after initial implementation.

The meeting drew unusually high public engagement and more than a dozen in-person and Zoom public commenters on this single issue; board members and staff described it as among the most substantive community discussions they have managed in recent months.

Ending note Board members repeatedly framed the vote as an attempt to balance classroom instruction, student safety and equity. Chair Lentz thanked the community for participation and noted the board’s expectation that the district would return with a clear implementation plan and timelines. “I think that combination has really led to some good outcomes,” she said earlier in the meeting.