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Trustees discuss tighter high‑school phone rules, middle‑school pouches raised as model
Summary
Board members debated whether to extend stricter cell‑phone limits used at the middle school to the high school, including discussion of ‘pouch’ systems that keep phones stowed for the school day and require staged implementation.
Board members discussed student cell‑phone policies and whether stricter restrictions used in the middle school should be extended to the high school.
A board member said the middle school’s bell‑to‑bell restriction reduced phone distractions and urged similar steps at the high school. “Next year, we're taking it, and it made a difference,” the trustee said, describing the middle‑school rollout and its enforcement steps.
District staff clarified that policy language had shifted recently from teacher discretion to administration discretion for some enforcement actions and noted that existing board policy still permits phones during passing periods and lunch at the high school. A staff speaker said certain instructional or testing uses require phone access and that some classes rely on devices for calculators or testing platforms.
Trustees and the superintendent discussed a phased implementation, noting the labor and logistical implications of a pouch system (storing phones in secured pouches during the school day), including staff time to manage pouches and necessary parent and student education. Board members said any change would require cabinet review and a measured rollout rather than an immediate overnight change.
No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; the discussion concluded with a direction to administration to continue reviewing options and report back with recommendations.
