Watertown schools outline plan to adopt state-mandated cell‑phone policy by August

Dr. Larry Schmiedel, superintendent of schools for the Watertown City School District, told the board the district will present a draft cell‑phone policy to the policy committee on June 17 and to the full board on July 17 with the goal of meeting the state deadline by Aug. 1.

The draft will implement a statewide law that limits student phone use during instructional time. "Cell phones are not gonna be allowed, in schools used during instructional time," Schmiedel said, adding the district solicited input from union leadership, parent groups, a student advisory, staff advisory groups and the policy committee.

The nut graf: The policy change is legally mandated and will affect the district’s secondary schools first; the board must approve a policy that complies with the state law by the August 1 deadline, and the district is preparing procedures and communications for families and staff.

Board members and administrators said they gathered feedback from 22 parents who responded to an online survey and from several in‑person meetings. Schmiedel said secondary schools will adopt “green light spaces” where limited phone use is permitted outside instructional time and that main offices will provide a phone for parents to contact students when necessary.

Tina Lane, assistant superintendent for personnel and student services, and Schmiedel said the district plans to buy classroom storage boxes to secure devices at the elementary level (through sixth grade). Schmiedel said the law's implementation timeline gives the district a narrow window in July to finalize the policy and present it for board approval.

The board has not yet received a clear state funding allocation tied to the mandate. A board member asked how the state’s announced funding would be divided; Schmiedel responded that “right now, it’s a mandate that is not funded yet or at least we don’t know,” and that the district will track purchases so it can seek reimbursement if guidance or funds are later provided.

Discussion only: the board discussed logistics, communications with families, and how to structure secure storage at elementary schools. Direction: staff were instructed to present a draft policy to the policy committee on June 17 and to the board on July 17, with possible approval in July to meet the Aug. 1 requirement. No formal vote on the policy was recorded at the meeting.

The district plans to publish more details for parents about how to reach students during the school day and to use ParentSquare as a communications option for urgent school‑to‑home messages.