Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews proposed student code changes on tardies, ditching and cellphone limits; principals describe campus pilots
Summary
District staff presented revisions to the student code of conduct that add definitions and tiered consequences for excessive tardies, out-of-class behavior and unauthorized sales; the board also discussed a draft cellphone policy and heard three principals describe pilot practices.
Phoenix Union staff presented proposed revisions to the student code of conduct and a draft wireless-communications (cellphone) policy, prompting an extended board discussion and examples from three principals who have piloted classroom and campus approaches.
The proposed code changes add or clarify definitions (excessive tardies; out of class without permission; unauthorized sales) and add tiered dispositions that pair interventions—parent conferences, academic recovery time—and consequences such as lunch detentions, ISS and short-term off-campus suspension for severe incidents. Staff described efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and said some campuses have piloted “sweeps,” lunch detentions and Saturday programs to recover instructional time.
Principals from Trevor Brown, Camelback and Wilson College Prep described different implementations: Trevor Brown uses student-operated lockers/“cell-phone hotels” so students retain control of their device while it’s secured during class; Camelback emphasized a clean‑break freshman-house pilot that requires phones to stay away during instruction and uses progressive consequences; Wilson described a phased rollout with staff buy-in and a grace period and said teachers reported more engaged classrooms after implementation.
Board members asked staff to clarify terms such as “instructional school day,” how e‑hall pass and bathroom procedures interact with device rules, and how campus‑level practices would be enforced and resourced. Staff said the language will be refined and that the policy will be brought back for further board consideration; several board members encouraged teacher, parent and student input and suggested limited pilots or phased rollouts in August before expanding districtwide.
No immediate policy vote was taken. The board instructed staff to gather additional feedback from teachers, principals and students and return with recommended language and implementation steps.
