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Batavia board asks principals for school-level reports as it schedules cell-phone policy review
Summary
Board members directed school principals to report how the district's cell-phone policy is being implemented and whether it is manageable, and set a follow-up discussion during December data presentations. The board also agreed to have administration bring a consultant-approval framework for review at or before the November meeting.
The Batavia USD 101 Board of Education on Oct. (date not specified) directed building principals to submit brief, school-level descriptions of how the district's cell-phone policy is being implemented and whether it is working, and scheduled a board-level discussion during the district's December data presentations.
Board members said they want consistent information from elementary, middle and high school leaders before deciding whether policy language or implementation procedures need change. Board members asked administrators to ask principals to address three questions: 1) does the current policy provide enough framework for consistent implementation across grade levels; 2) is the policy manageable in day-to-day operations; and 3) what problems, if any, are principals encountering and what changes would they propose.
"The current policy effectively states for structured time it is no cell phones during structured time, but at the teacher's discretion," Board member Kristen (last name not specified) said during the discussion. Board members flagged differences reported by parents between written policy and what occurs in classrooms and lunchrooms.
Tom (last name not specified), an administrator who led parts of the discussion, said the district's expectation at secondary levels is that phones be put away except for limited instructional use, and that elementary practice is generally to keep devices out of reach. He told the board that some schools have adopted local, phased approaches. "RMS has worked over the last few years to slowly implement a more structured, procedural approach around cell phone use," Tom said, referring to Rotolo Middle School. RMS Principal Tara Piatek confirmed her school now applies consistent expectations for sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Board members emphasized that the follow-up report should include whether staff find the policy manageable in practice, whether implementation is equitable across grade levels and classrooms, whether the policy is producing unintended academic or social harms, and what practical changes principals would recommend.
"If one school says it's working and another says it's not, we need to know whether that's an implementation problem or a policy problem," said Board member Danielle (last name not specified).
The board asked administration to collect short written summaries from principals and to prepare to discuss the issue at the district's December data presentations and the regular December board meeting (dates and exact timing not specified). Members also agreed that, if helpful, the board would invite feedback from teachers and building deans as part of that packet.
Related items on the board's work plan: the administration said it could present a proposed framework for consultant agreements at the November meeting if a draft is ready; that item had been prioritized third in a recent board polling exercise. The board did not change policy language at the meeting but established the schedule and the information the board wants before considering policy revisions.
Votes at a glance The board approved its consent agenda by roll call. The motion to approve the consent agenda (items 5.1—6) was moved by Erin (last name not specified) and seconded by Katie (last name not specified). The roll call called the following votes as recorded on the meeting record: Gonzales Thomas '0 Yes; Geralt '0 Yes; Straczynski '0 Yes; Araland '0 Yes; Kilberg '0 Yes; Meadows '0 Yes; Slager '0 Yes. The motion passed.
The board also adopted an updated policy on election of officers (policy will begin with the 2027 cycle) after a separate motion. The motion to adopt the updated policy was moved by Katie and seconded by Danielle. The roll call recorded: Slager Yes; Swazicki Yes; Meadows No; Hilberg No; Gonzales Thomas Yes; Garrels Yes; Arlane (Araland) No. Motion passes.
What happens next - Administration will ask each principal to provide a short, written description of current implementation addressing: whether policy provides enough framework; whether implementation is manageable; and what problems and proposed changes principals see. Board members requested those reports ahead of the December data presentations. - Administration will attempt to bring a draft consultant-approval framework to the November meeting for board review.
No changes to the written cell-phone policy were adopted at this meeting. The board's next steps are fact-finding and an informed discussion with building leaders before considering policy revisions.
