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After sustained public comment urging phone‑free schools, committee pauses vote on cellphone policy JFCK and sets April 9 follow‑up
Summary
Public commenters and committee members urged Portland Public Schools to adopt stronger cellphone restrictions; staff proposed requiring middle‑school devices be off and not in students’ possession while high‑school rules are left for further work.
Portland — Dozens of public commenters and committee members pressed the Portland Public Schools Curriculum and Policy Committee on March 25 to strengthen the district’s cellphone policy. Committee members discussed a staff proposal that would require elementary and middle‑school students to keep personal electronic devices turned off and not in their possession during school hours, while leaving high‑school rules largely unchanged for now.
Several teachers and parents speaking during the public comment period urged the committee to adopt a fully phone‑free school day. David Burke, who said he works for Portland Public Schools and is involved with Phone Free Schools Portland, told the committee the draft policy “is essentially unchanged from what exists now” and urged a stronger approach: “We need phone free schools ... It is going to raise our test scores and make our kids happier more than anything else you guys could do this year.”
Matthew Hosmer, a Portland Public Schools teacher, said the district should move expectations “off the plates of teachers and administrators” and return to a consistent, K–12 environment where smartphones are not part of the school day.
Parents Lisa Shepherd and Chris Hart and teacher Lily Sage echoed those views, citing student mental health, socialization and classroom focus.
District staff explained the proposed policy change would focus initial enforcement on middle schools, where administrators would be authorized to require devices to be turned off and stored (for example, in school‑provided lockboxes or with homeroom staff) so teachers are not responsible for daily enforcement. Staff said rules to implement the policy (JFCKR) would be developed by the superintendent’s office and would include accommodations for medical or safety needs that rely on phone‑based monitoring.
Committee members discussed logistics (lockers, staggered release times for multi‑tier transportation, meal service) and recommended broad stakeholder engagement. Several members expressed support for stronger language that clearly states devices must not be in students’ possession during school hours; others cautioned that high‑school implementation requires additional consultation with students and school leaders.
Rather than vote on a final policy, the committee directed staff to draft implementing rules and consult with building leaders, students, families and the union, then return to the committee. The committee set a follow‑up meeting for April 9 at 6:00 p.m. to review refined policy language and proposed rules.
No formal vote adopting permanent districtwide restrictions was taken March 25; staff will bring specific rule language and implementation details back to the committee before any final board action.
