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District committee recommends stricter student device rules for elementary and middle schools
Summary
Temple ISD School Health Advisory Committee recommends banning smart devices during the school day for elementary students, stricter middle-school rules and classroom cell-phone lockers at high school; implementation would include communications to families and progressive discipline.
Temple ISD’s School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) recommended changes to the district’s approach to student smart devices that would limit device use during the school day and add education and enforcement components, district staff reported April 14.
The committee recommended that elementary students not be permitted to use smart devices from the time they enter school until they leave, a definition the committee described as “the school day.” For middle school, the committee recommended devices be turned off during the school day and proposed removing earbuds and smartwatch exceptions that have been allowed this year. For high school the committee recommended continuing the current instructional-time limits and exploring classroom cell‑phone lockers so students store devices during class but may use them between classes and at lunch.
Jason Jonkenberg (presenter) told the board SHAC’s research found smart devices “were a distraction to the learning environment” and that they “had a negative impact on the mental health of many of our students.” Students who served on the committee said the high-school policy increased in-class discussion time and that they appreciated more face-to-face interaction after limits were placed on phone use.
SHAC proposed a phased implementation and communications plan. The committee recommended a progressive-discipline sequence: first offense—warning; second offense—phone taken and returned at the end of the day; third offense—phone retained until a parent picks it up; subsequent offenses processed through standard referral protocols. The committee also recommended building phone etiquette education into rollout materials and coordinating with pediatricians who provided input during review.
District leaders said they plan to send a comprehensive communication to families in May outlining changes for elementary and middle schools, and additional messages over the summer and in August before school starts. The board did not take formal action on a policy change at the meeting; the report was informational and will inform next steps.
