Board considers new state-mandated cellphone rule; Northside outlines implementation, exceptions and reporting

Northside ISD trustees on Aug. 12 reviewed a revised policy to comply with House Bill 1481 (state law) that restricts student use of telecommunication devices during the school day. Administrators presented implementation guidance, exceptions, and plans for communications and reporting as they move to incorporate the rule into campus handbooks and administrative regulations.

The amendment before the board would not ban devices from campus; instead, the district’s proposed practice asks students to power off devices and keep them in backpacks or in a designated area inside the classroom from the first bell to the last bell. Administrators said the approach is intended to be practicable across the district’s 133 campuses and to avoid the logistical burden of collecting and redistributing devices multiple times per day.

Superintendent Dr. Kraft said the district sought to balance compliance with the new law, the integrity of instructional time and student safety: “we're trying to strike this balance of creating an environment, a learning…