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New state law cements Gloucester’s bell-to-bell cellphone limit; board to formalize policy
Summary
Following recent state legislation codifying bell-to-bell cellphone-free school hours, Gloucester County Public Schools told the board that it already enforces a similar practice and staff will present a stand-alone policy and superintendent regulation to formalize enforcement and consequences.
The Gloucester County School Board discussed cell-phone rules on July 8 after state legislation (HB 1961 and SB 738) made a full "bell-to-bell" cellphone-free policy a statutory requirement. District leaders told the board Gloucester has been enforcing similar rules and will bring a formal standalone policy and a superintendent regulation to align with the new law.
What the law does and the district response: Board members noted the governor signed legislation requiring school divisions to adopt campus-wide bell-to-bell cellphone-free policies. Superintendent Dr. Badu said the district's approach "formalizes everything that we have been doing" and recommended the board adopt a standalone cell-phone policy to provide clarity and to pair it with a superintendent regulation for enforcement.
Enforcement and consequences: Board members emphasized the need for clear, administrable steps and to avoid putting excessive enforcement burdens on teachers. Speakers said the district already uses the student code of conduct and step-based responses, and discussed options such as warnings, confiscation with parent pickup for repeat offenses and including the policy language on signature pages so parents explicitly acknowledge it.
Next steps: Staff said they will present a draft standalone policy and associated regulation at a future meeting, include language in the code-of-conduct materials and consider communications and signature processes so families understand expectations before school starts.
