New Texas law forces CSISD to set a phone-storage policy; board discusses discipline, exemptions and implementation

College Station ISD trustees discussed how the district will implement House Bill 1481, the 2025 Texas law that requires public-school boards to adopt written policies to prohibit student use of personal communication devices during the school day or provide a storage method. Staff said the district expects to adopt a policy in early August and will update the student code of conduct accordingly.

The presentation, led by district staff, reviewed the law’s principal requirements: districts must adopt a written policy that either prohibits students from bringing personal communication devices to school or designates a storage method; the policy must set disciplinary measures and accommodate exemptions for students with medical needs, individualized education program (IEP) accommodations or Section 504 plans. Staff also said the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is expected to issue model policy language in August.

Definition and draft approach: District staff read the bill’s definition of a personal communication device — i.e., telephones, smartphones, flip phones, tablets, smartwatches, radios and paging devices capable of telecommunication or digital communication — and clarified that district‑issued instructional devices such as laptops and tablets intended for classroom use are not included in the prohibition. A district staff draft presented to trustees said students could bring a device to school, "but it has to be off and put away during the school day," and that "off the student" means stored in a backpack, purse, locker or other designated storage area rather than carried in a pocket.

Discipline, enforcement and exemptions: Staff said principals will work with district administrators to develop grade‑level discipline measures and that the district will not conduct searches of students solely to find phones. Exemptions will be available where required by a physician, medical provider, IEP team or Section 504 committee. Trustees raised enforcement questions, including how staff should handle students who refuse to surrender a device; staff warned refusal could lead to disciplinary action and stressed a phased, coached rollout for students and staff.

Ancillary issues: The board discussed school‑day communications used by coaches and activity sponsors, anonymous tip systems that students sometimes access by QR code during the school day, and the effect on families who regularly contact students during the day. Staff said anonymous-reporting platforms will remain available 24/7 and that campuses will move those services onto district devices if needed.

Timeline and outreach: Staff said they expect TEA’s model language in August and will aim to finalize and adopt a local policy early in the month, then publish FAQs and communication resources for families and staff. No formal vote was taken at the workshop; staff said the policy will be presented for formal adoption at a future board meeting.

Direct quotations in this account are taken verbatim from trustees and staff who spoke during the workshop.