OSBA update: board discusses governor’s device executive order and local implementation questions

An OSBA legislative update to the board covered recent activity at the state level and flagged a governor’s executive order on student devices that will require districts to examine policy and implementation timelines.

The OSBA representative told trustees that OSBA and COSA are working to interpret the executive order and to develop model policy guidance; at the time of the meeting, numerous questions remained about whether the Department of Education would open a formal rulemaking process and how much district-level flexibility will be allowed. The transcript records that board members and staff discussed a potential timeline in which boards would adopt a policy by October and schools would implement procedures by Jan. 1, and raised concerns about the difficulty of implementing policy changes mid-school year.

Board members emphasized the operational complications of a fast rollout. Several trustees asked about students who rely on phones for medical monitoring (for example, diabetes glucose monitoring) and about how many exemption requests (504 or IEP-based accommodations) the district would have to process. The board noted the district’s experience piloting similar rules at the high school in the prior year and requested additional guidance and model policy language from OSBA and ODE.

The OSBA presenter also reviewed other items from the legislative year, including delays and cuts to some federal funds and advocacy activity such as regionally hosted advocacy days and upcoming summer conference sessions for board chairs and policy committees.