Board reviews draft changes to student device policy after principals report fewer incidents with restricted use

The Wake County Board of Education reviewed proposed edits to district Policy 43.18 on student use of personal electronic devices after principals and staff described how school-level rules affect instruction and student behavior.

District leaders said policy committee edits reflect feedback from principals, teacher surveys and legal counsel. School principals from elementary, middle and high schools described their on‑campus practices: elementary principals said phones are typically kept in backpacks and handled with escalating consequences (teacher warning, office involvement, parent retrieval after repeated offenses); middle‑school principals reported a book‑bag‑in policy and a parental pick‑up requirement on repeat offenses; and a high‑school principal described a classroom “red/green” card system that lets teachers restrict phone visibility during direct instruction while permitting limited use for supervised instructional tasks.

Dr. Chris McMillan (district staff) summarized a teacher survey of roughly 2,500 respondents: about 85–91% of teachers said devices should be turned off during instructional time; teachers indicated arrival/dismissal access varies by grade (elementary teachers less likely to favor device use at arrival/dismissal compared with high‑school teachers); and roughly 57–70% of teachers supported confiscation as an option even while many said confiscation is disruptive in class. That mix illustrated both the discipline challenges and the broad teacher preference for limiting devices during instruction.

Legal counsel reviewed recommended edits and asked staff to clarify language for two related points: whether district policy should explicitly allow teachers to authorize device use for instruction, and whether the policy should permit schools to create additional school‑level restrictions. Counsel noted similar language in pending state bills that would require a district wireless‑device policy to allow teacher‑authorized instructional use; staff asked the board whether they preferred to retain explicit teacher‑authorization language for elementary and middle schools or to leave the provision available only as a district/school‑level policy.

Board discussion focused on consistency across schools, the pending state legislation and how the board wants to balance districtwide rules with school‑level flexibility. Several board members said they favored a consistent districtwide approach for K–8 schools given principals’ reports that current school‑level practices are working and to avoid creating “199 islands” of different rules by school.

Next steps: staff circulated a redlined version of the policy that incorporates attorney recommendations and highlighted two sections for board attention. Staff said they will upload the revised draft, and the policy will return to the board later this month for consideration and a possible vote.