Bradley County Board adopts state-aligned policy limiting student cell phone use; debate centers on confiscation period

The Bradley County Board of Education on Aug. 5 voted unanimously to adopt Policy 6.312, updating rules on the possession and use of wireless communication devices in schools to comply with state law referenced in the meeting as “public chapter 103, house bill 932.” The motion to adopt the policy, made by Miss Lee and carried on a 7-0 roll call, included waiving a second reading.

The policy requires students to have personal devices silenced and stored out of sight during the instructional day and establishes an emergency communication protocol required by the new state law. Bradley County staff described the policy as aligned with guidance from the Tennessee School Boards Association and with existing district due-process protections in Policy 6.302.

The adoption came after a public comment from Daniel Marlowe, a parent and resident of District 2, who said the proposed administrative consequences could create legal and equity problems. “This policy raises troubling legal and ethical and practical questions,” Marlowe said, adding that many phones are owned and paid for by parents and that seizing devices “places a disproportionate burden on low income families.” He also warned that confiscation could cut off families’ ability to contact older students in emergencies or to use…