Montgomery County school board unanimously adopts school-day cell-phone blackout

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to amend the 2025-26 student code of conduct, creating a districtwide blackout on student cell-phone use during the instructional day.

The change, proposed by board member Mr. Mayberry and seconded by Chris Lanier, was approved 7-0 after the board amended the original language to specify “instructional day” and to retain administrator discretion in special circumstances. Board members said the change is intended to reduce distractions and incidents tied to phones, while staff confirmed devices remain available in emergencies.

Board member Mr. Mayberry moved the amendment, saying a blackout would reduce behavior issues linked to phones: “When they did this blackout period within the schools that kids actually spoke to one another,” he said during discussion. Several other board members said they had heard similar feedback from teachers. Mr. Lanier, who seconded the amendment, told the board the intent was not to remove phones from students entirely but to return instructional time to classroom learning.

District staff clarified the amendment’s scope. A district representative confirmed the board accepted the version that uses the term “instructional day” (beginning to end of school) and noted the student code still allows students to access phones in emergency situations and that the district will comply with statutory emergency-contact requirements. The staff member also said the original draft language that allowed administrators to implement exceptions at their discretion remains intact.

The board opened and closed votes on the amended motion at the meeting; the amendment passed 7-0 and the main motion to adopt the 2025-26 student code of conduct updates — with the new cell-phone blackout language — also passed 7-0.

Board members said next steps include districtwide communication and enforcement plans; several members encouraged consistent application across schools so the policy would be effective. The board did not set specific enforcement protocols during the meeting.

The vote follows months of community feedback to the board citing discipline and safety concerns that some members tied to devices. The district indicated it will inform families of the change and that the law’s emergency-access provisions will continue to be honored.

A copy of the revised student code of conduct will be posted on the district website and communicated to schools before the start of the next school year, the staff member said.