Casa Grande schools propose 'off and away' cellphone rules under new state law

Casa Grande Elementary District staff on Tuesday recommended a new set of student cell-phone procedures that would require students to power off personal wireless devices and keep them in backpacks while on campus, with limited exceptions for documented medical needs and emergencies.

The presentation, led by district technology and policy staff member Miss Bradshaw and introduced by Superintendent Doctor Lecky, framed the recommendations as an implementation of House Bill 2484 and the district's existing board policy IJNDB. "The law restricts it, asks us to limit the use during the school day," Bradshaw told the board as she reviewed survey results and proposed handbook language. "It does not say that we need to ban it during the school day, simply that it has to be limited, with exceptions made for educational purposes if a teacher chooses, or during an emergency."

District staff said they collected family and staff survey data after HB 2484 passed and found disagreement between families and employees about how devices affect learning and social-emotional well-being. Bradshaw summarized the surveys: families cited emergencies and parent communication as top reasons students carry devices; staff raised more concerns about distraction, bullying and exposure to inappropriate content. She told the board 78% of middle-school students bring a device to school and that teachers reported classes where students have phones are common.

Why it matters: the proposed procedures are intended to reduce classroom distractions and social-media incidents the district has seen, while preserving parents' ability to contact children when necessary. Board members repeatedly emphasized balancing student safety and instructional time.

Key recommendations and operational details - Students would turn devices off and keep them in backpacks while on campus ("off and away"). That includes smartwatches and other wireless devices. Students without backpacks could leave devices in the school office for the day. Bradshaw said devices may be powered on during bus transport to allow location-tracking by parents but would not be for use on the bus. - Exceptions: use permitted in emergencies, for documented medical reasons (on record with the school nurse and often supported by a 504 plan), or with staff permission for explicit communication with parents. - Discipline and rollout: schools would provide reminders during a two-week transition period; after that students would receive an in-class warning and repeated misuse would lead to confiscation and parent pickup. More serious incidents (for example, videos used for bullying) could result in a referral and escalated consequences. - Data collection: the district plans to monitor results at grades 6'8 during the first semester and consider additional restrictions (for example, lockers or pouches) if problems persist.

Board members and staff discussed logistics and enforcement. Several board members and staff expressed concern about enforcement on buses, where a single driver cannot monitor students' screens, and whether allowing phones to be on for location tracking undermines the goal of reducing distraction. Bradshaw said families receive bus-approach notifications through the district app and that allowing phones on buses reflects parent feedback; she recommended a trial period and data review at semester's end.

Board context and next steps Doctor Lecky described the proposal as a balanced first step and emphasized the district's continuous improvement approach: "If we see a need to be more restrictive ... we can always move in that direction." Bradshaw said staff will finalize handbook language and share a concise one-page explainer for families once the board gives direction.

Evidence in the meeting: presentation slides, family and staff survey results, comparisons with other Arizona districts (for example, Chandler and Apache Junction), and proposed handbook text changes. Bradshaw referenced the district policy IJNDB and House Bill 2484 throughout the presentation.

Provenance: topic introduced when Doctor Lecky introduced the presentation and Miss Bradshaw began (transcript excerpt: "This will be, I think, the third time we presented to the board on this topic. So, I'm gonna turn it over to Miss Bradshaw."), and the topic closed after board member questions and staff summary (transcript excerpt: "Our next step, is to communicate all of this with our staff first ... then with our families and our students ... looking to do that hopefully all within August").