District outlines plan to comply with California’s Phone Free School Act by summer 2026

District staff briefed the Rescue Union Elementary School District board on Assembly Bill 3216 — the “Phone Free School Act” — and said the district expects to file a compliant local policy by mid‑winter with an effective compliance date of July 1, 2026.

“Assembly bill 3 2 1 6 … is called the Phone Free School Act,” the presenter said, and it “requires every district … to adopt and implement a policy limiting smartphone usage by July of 07/01/2026.” The presentation described the law’s main requirements and emphasized that the legislature gives school systems no option to opt out.

Staff told trustees that Rescue USD is already largely aligned with the law’s core requirement — devices turned off and stored during the school day and allowed again after dismissal — but that small inconsistencies remain across the district’s seven school sites. Examples included differing local practices for consequences (confiscation until end of day, parent pickup, merit loss or referral to detention) and uneven references to smartwatches and earbuds in current language.

Trustees asked for data on current infractions; staff said they would gather both incident counts and narrative examples from elementary and middle school sites and return that information. Staff also said they plan to split any district policy language for TK–8 into separate elementary and middle‑school provisions where appropriate and will present a draft policy for board review in December–January.

No formal action was taken; the item was discussion only.