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Maury County school board amends wireless-device rule, debates Juneteenth; several policy updates approved
Summary
The Maury County Board of Education approved multiple policy updates, including aligning a wireless communication policy with a state statute limiting student device use to teacher-authorized educational purposes; a proposal to add Juneteenth as a paid holiday for 12‑month employees was discussed and deferred to further study.
The Maury County Board of Education on Tuesday approved several policy updates and amendments after extended discussion, including language aligning the district’s wireless communication policy with a state law governing classroom use of personal devices.
The board voted to revise the wireless-device policy so that a student may use a wireless communication device when “authorized by a teacher for educational purposes during instructional time,” language members said mirrors the statute signed by the governor. Board member Miss Stevenson framed the change as necessary for consistency across classrooms: “If we leave it open ended, then teachers will have the option all over the schools … of saying, sure, go ahead, pull your phone out,” she said.
Board debate on that policy included questions about how to define “instructional time.” District staff said schools generally interpret it as bell-to-bell instruction, though administrators retain some discretion at the building level. Several board members urged clear guidance for principals and teachers to avoid uneven enforcement.
The board also approved a change to the charter-school revocation policy, replacing mandatory language that the board “shall” revoke a charter with permissive language that the board “may” revoke, after a motion from Mr. Babcock and a second from Mr. Martin. Instructional goals (policy 4.1) and district goals (policy 1.7) were approved with no substantive changes. The vacation-and-holidays policy (5.31) prompted a lengthy debate over whether to add Juneteenth as a paid holiday for 12-month employees.
Board member Miss Brown moved to add Juneteenth as a paid holiday for 12-month employees; that proposal failed in an initial vote. Later the board approved the vacation-and-holidays policy as presented and directed staff to return with fiscal estimates and options at a future work session so the board can consider whether to add Juneteenth at a later date.
On the wireless-device policy, Mr. Carter expressed discomfort altering statutory wording but ultimately the board adopted language reflecting the statute’s educational-purpose limitation. The board voted to end debate and then approved the statutory-aligned wording.
No additional financial commitments were made on the holiday question during the meeting; board members asked staff for a cost estimate and implementation scenarios (for example, effects on summer school staffing and payroll) before any future vote.
The policy votes passed by board motion and were recorded as approved in the meeting minutes.
