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Bend‑La Pine to revise student personal electronic device policy under governor’s order; public comment planned
Summary
Superintendent Steven Cook presented recommended changes to policy JFCEB‑AP and its regulation on Sept. 9 to comply with a governor’s executive order; the district plans community feedback before a final copy due Oct. 31 and an implementation date of Jan. 1.
Superintendent Steven Cook told the board Sept. 9 that the district proposes changes to the personal electronic device policy (JFCEB‑AP and associated regulation) to comply with a governor’s executive order and state law.
Cook said the district must finalize the policy by Oct. 31 and implement it by Jan. 1. "This has to be fully implemented in the district by January 1 to be in compliance with the executive order of the governor," Cook said.
He said the changes are most consequential for high schools, where districts across the state have taken different approaches: some districts implemented outright bans at the start of the year, while Bend‑La Pine elected a phased approach intended to be operationally manageable. The district plans to publish the recommended changes for community feedback over the next few weeks.
Board members asked about exemptions. Director Shirley Olsen asked who will review exemption requests and whether families might seek exemptions broadly. Cook said exemption procedures would be worked out administratively and described examples of likely exempted needs: medical uses such as a diabetes app could merit exemption, while general work‑related access would be harder to justify. "Most of that, I would think, is going to be collaboratively worked out from district personnel, administrative personnel along with building requests as we run into those," Cook said.
Cook said he does not expect most exemption decisions to come before the board but instead to be handled administratively under a district process. He also told the student voice council that the policy will be a topic for their engagement because it will particularly affect high school students.
Why it matters: the policy change affects day‑to‑day classroom management and student access to devices in high school; the executive order narrows district discretion and sets deadlines. The district will solicit public feedback before finalizing the regulation.
Ending: The administration will publish the draft changes for community comment and return with any final recommendations required by the Oct. 31 deadline; the board and administration emphasized outreach to students through the student voice council.
