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Wyoming Area tables revised electronic-devices policy and debate over locked phone pouches
Summary
The board tabled proposed Policy 237 (electronic devices) and received extensive public comment for and against district-funded phone-lock pouches; administrators said some funding could come from a PCCD grant and that the policy will be posted online before final action.
The Wyoming Area School District Board of Education on Jan. 21 voted to table the second reading of revised Policy 237, which would formalize use of locked pouches (sometimes described as “yonder bags”) to secure student cell phones during the school day.
The proposed policy defines electronic devices, describes a locking pouch system to store devices while on school property and outlines mechanisms for supervised access during the day. Several members of the public urged the board to adopt the policy as a way to reduce phone-related disruptions, recording of fights and social-media sharing. Brenda (last name not specified), a parent from Exeter, said in public comment that using locked pouches reduced fights and improved grades in another district: “Take the cell phone. Took the cell phone. She knows not to be on it at Coffee Inclusive anymore. Everything is fine now.”
Other residents opposed spending district money on the pouches. One resident remarked that the district should not spend “nearly $40,000” on lock pouches and urged alternatives such as stricter consequences and locker storage. Superintendent Dr. John Pollock and other administrators answered questions about funding: the district can use Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grant funds in certain security and mental-health categories, and the district has used prior PCCD funds for school security upgrades and to offset a police officer and a contracted mental-health worker.
Vanessa Smith, a community member, told the board she could not find the proposed policy on the district website and asked for it to be posted before the board takes further action. Administrators agreed the policy will be posted and that public comment will be taken again before any final vote.
The board’s motion to table Policy 237 (second reading) carried on a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript. The meeting also included a presentation of what the pouch system entails and a description of PCCD funding rules; administrators said the PCCD application process is annual and that the grant has a rubric that prioritizes security and mental-health items.
The policy will return to a future agenda with additional opportunities for public comment; the board did not take final action on Policy 237 at this meeting.
