Elko County School District board approves new policy limiting student use of personal electronic devices

The Elko County School District Board of Trustees voted to approve revisions to policy JDBA, the student-discipline rule that governs use and possession of personal electronic devices on district property.

The policy update, presented to the board as a second reading, clarifies when devices may be used on campus, adds a citation to Nevada law (NRS) at the top of the policy document, and emphasizes consistent, site-level enforcement guided by building handbooks and a new discipline matrix. The board approved the motion without recorded roll-call counts; the chair announced the motion passed.

Board members and staff said the revisions responded to concerns that the prior language could be interpreted as a perpetual, campuswide ban. The revised policy narrows the prohibition to school hours for elementary schools and enumerates exceptions, including health needs and school-authorized emergency use. Dr. Josh Byers, who led the data briefing on implementations in other districts, said the board used outside evidence to shape the policy and noted both anecdotal and documented results from other districts: “the cell phones are…a detriment, when not properly used and when not supervised.”

Trustees debated implementation details. Questions included whether coaches or non-teacher sponsors could authorize device use during school-sponsored travel; staff members said an on-site responsible adult (administrator, coach, or sponsor) may authorize use but that specifying every possible title would be cumbersome. The district clarified that district-issued Chromebooks are not “personal electronic devices” under JDBA and thus are governed separately by district technology policy.

The policy leaves day-to-day procedures to each school. The district will not buy secure phone pouches for every site; an individual school may choose to purchase pouches with its own funds. Emily Nielsen, a district staff member working on the implementation, told the board she has drafted a separate discipline matrix specifically for personal electronic devices and that administrators will review it with site leaders so handbooks can be updated before school starts.

Trustees asked for a midyear report on implementation and impact. Several board members asked the district to return with key data points — such as numbers of confiscations, office referrals, suspensions, and any measurable changes in bullying or classroom engagement — rather than waiting until year-end. The board approved the policy and directed staff to proceed with site-level rollouts and handbook updates.

The new policy includes references to the district discipline matrix and school handbooks as the operational guides for enforcement; those documents will be updated to reflect the policy language and the separate discipline steps for personal electronic devices.

The board moved on to other business after approval; no amendment was added at the meeting.

Ending: The board’s action establishes a districtwide standard while leaving implementation details to school sites and a discipline matrix staff will finalize and deploy before the new school year.