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Williamson County Schools to review stricter cell-phone limits after parent plea
Summary
A parent urged the Williamson County School Board for a bell-to-bell ban on student cell phones; district leaders said a technology committee will focus on phone rules this fall and noted state law requires emergency-use exceptions and a new 48-hour notification rule for significant disturbances.
A parent urged the Williamson County Board of Education on Aug. 18 to adopt a bell-to-bell ban on personal cell phones for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and district leaders said a technology committee will produce phone-specific recommendations this fall.
Emily Eisenbarger, a parent of three Williamson County students, told the board she favors locked pouches, lockers or another storage method so phones are inaccessible during the school day. “The research is clear. Phones undermine learning,” Eisenbarger said. She cited a University of Chicago study and described a parent at Columbia Academy who told her a student initially resisted a pouch policy but later said classes and lunch were noticeably better without phones.
The district’s superintendent, identified in the meeting as Mr. Golden, said the board’s Personal Device Committee has shifted its short-term work to concentrate on cell phones and personal devices. “I expect that we'll have some recommendations from that committee this fall,” Mr. Golden said, adding the committee will consider how any local measures must align with state law.
Golden summarized two legal and operational constraints discussed at the meeting: the state law that allows student cell-phone use in emergencies and a separate state requirement that the district notify parents within 48 hours when there is a finding of a threat or a significant disturbance that required additional assistance. “The state law now has what I'm describing as a 48-hour rule … we notify parents of that detail within 48 hours,” Golden said.
Dr. Lee Webb, assistant superintendent for secondary schools, told the work session the district’s high school hallway restriction on cell-phone use has “gone surprisingly well,” calling the current atmosphere a “honeymoon phase” that will require ongoing attention from administrators. Golden said the district will continue discussions to define “emergency” and to balance classroom needs, noting that elementary students are not required to take district devices home this year and that principals may approve limited exceptions when parents request them.
The board took no formal vote on a phone ban at the Aug. 18 meeting. Board members and staff said they expect the Personal Device Committee’s fall recommendations to inform any policy changes or future votes.
Looking ahead: the district will present committee recommendations this fall and board members said they will continue public discussion and stakeholder outreach before taking a formal vote.
