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Board reviews revised code of conduct and new smartphone policy; administration to draft regulations
Summary
The board reviewed proposed rewrites to the district code of conduct and a revamped policy banning internet‑enabled devices during the school day under state law; administrators will return with regulations and implementation plans this summer.
The board discussed multiple policy revisions on June 4, including a simplified, plain‑language rewrite of the district’s code of conduct and a substantially revised policy on students and personal electronic devices intended to comply with recent changes in state law.
Policy committee chair Miss Krejci summarized changes proposed to the code of conduct (policy 5300) including: shorter introductory language for readability, consolidation and clarification of behavior definitions, removal of an automatic requirement to notify police for specified offenses (replaced with the option to notify), expansion of the "false alarm" definition to include tampering and inappropriate 911 calls, and the inclusion of inappropriate use of artificial intelligence under academic dishonesty. The committee said additional sections will be revised next year to simplify further and make the policy accessible to students and families.
On personal electronic devices (policy 5695), the committee described a district approach to comply with Education Law §2803, which allows small city districts to prohibit smartphones during the school day. Key points the board noted:
- The policy will prohibit internet‑enabled smartphones and permit the district to include so‑called "dumb phones" (non‑internet flip phones) among banned items at the district’s discretion. The policy committee noted the state law permits districts to set that local rule.
- Elementary schools will use classroom or hallway cubbies for storage; secondary schools will issue individual locked pouches for students to secure devices. Students who arrive with unlocked phones will be asked to stow them; noncompliance will lead to staff confiscation and secure storage until the end of the day. Parents will not be required to retrieve confiscated phones.
- No student will be suspended solely for violating the device policy; however, other code of conduct offenses connected to device incidents may trigger disciplinary steps.
- Exemptions will be made for district‑issued instructional devices, devices required by a student's IEP or Section 504 plan, or devices needed to manage health needs; the administration will develop a districtwide exemption and communication process, including accommodations for families with limited English proficiency.
Board members raised operational questions about implementation: how buildings will communicate contact methods for parents during the day, handling of broken district Chromebooks or loaner devices, and the narrow definition of contraband (for example, devices or tools used to defeat storage pouches). Administration said regulation language and building implementation plans will be drafted and returned to the board by July (staff said they hope to be back by July 24). The board did not adopt the code of conduct or the device regulation at this meeting; the ex‑officio student policy (separate item) was adopted.
