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Board committee narrows student cellphone use: new electronics policy prescribes storage and classroom caddies
Summary
The policy committee recommended a revised electronics policy that prohibits student device use during instructional time, with site-specific storage rules: Grandview devices to be stored until end of day, middle-school devices kept in lockers, and high-school classrooms to use organizer/caddy systems.
The Derry Area School District policy committee presented a revised electronics policy that prohibits student use of cell phones and other personal electronic devices during instructional time and sets different storage approaches for each building.
Under the proposal described by Policy Committee members, Grandview students would not have personal electronic devices during the school day; devices will be placed in a storage box until the end of the day. Middle-school students would be required to store phones in their assigned lockers until the end of the day. At the high school, each classroom would be equipped with an organizer or caddy system; students place phones and devices in an assigned compartment at the start of class and do not access them until class ends.
Policy Committee chair Miss Fendish said the changes reflect building principals' input and a desire to clarify enforcement and expectations. The committee also reviewed rules for board members' electronic participation: a director may participate remotely in up to four open, voting meetings in a rolling 12-month period, but may not participate in executive session remotely to protect executive-session confidentiality.
Board members asked about safety exceptions. Board member Mister Reed raised a concern about whether locking phones in lockers would prevent students from accessing phones during an emergency. Committee members and the superintendent said that district incident-management procedures (NIMS training) and public messaging (website and social media) are part of emergency communication, and that the policy's main changes affect the high school classroom implementation; middle-school and Grandview practices continue existing restrictions.
The policy text will be posted online and reviewed further at the policy committee meeting scheduled for June 12, according to the committee. The board indicated the item will advance through the committee process for additional feedback.
