Hillsboro School District begins school year implementing state executive‑order guidance on student personal devices

Hillsboro School District staff updated the School Board on the district’s implementation of state guidance and an executive order restricting students’ use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) during school hours, and described next steps for formal policy and community engagement.

Andrea (staff member) delivered the update and told the board the district "has started the year with a cell phone restriction" across grade bands and that the district intends to align its policy with guidance from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and a model draft from the Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA). "These are the resources that I'd shared before. The executive order is there. The guidance from ODE is there as well," Andrea said, noting the ODE guidance had not yet been updated but the district had an FAQ that was recently revised.

Andrea explained how the district defines a personal electronic device for the policy: "a PED device is anything that can make and receive calls, make and receive text, and access the internet independent of the school's network," and that the definition includes smartwatches and wireless headphones because they can connect to phones. The district's current operational approach requires students to keep PEDs in a backpack, locker or vehicle; administrators described a phased start that began with classes in the first days of the school year and included staff training, building‑level reminders and a short exception form for documented needs. Andrea said the policy draft expected from staff would be provided to the board for review (target: policy draft shared with the board by Sept. 23 and policy adoption by Oct. 28, per the update).

District staff emphasized implementation choices the board might see: at the high school level the district is allowing phone use during travel to and from athletic events and extracurricular activities for safety and communication; the district is not purchasing centralized phone storage devices because of current budget constraints and is using backpacks/lockers as the primary compliance approach. Staff also said they had provided administrators, labor partners and building staff with guidance and had begun student focus groups and outreach to families (including Spanish‑language materials) to gather feedback about implementation.

Board members asked about enforcement, equity and exceptions. Staff said initial confiscations dropped quickly at a school that reported 42 phones confiscated on day one, nine on day two and three on day three, and that administrators would work with students who need reasonable accommodations (for example, students whose need is already included in an IEP or 504 plan). Board members suggested emphasizing positive messaging about digital wellbeing and using student leadership for outreach; student and parent participants in the meeting referenced using Chromebooks and email for some student communications and noted concerns about lunchtime access and safety in emergencies. Andrea said the district would continue to monitor operational impacts, report back on student and staff feedback, and incorporate an exception form and AR (administrative regulation) language to manage unique needs.

Ending: The board received the operational update; staff will return with a formal policy draft and related administrative rules and will continue outreach to students, families and staff prior to formal board action.