Beaverton School District details bell-to-bell student device rules after governor's order

Beaverton School District 48J officials told the school board on Sept. 9 that the district has implemented a bell-to-bell restriction on student personal devices to align with the governor's executive order and that the change so far has required mostly communication and culture-setting rather than new infrastructure.

The update came during a work session when district staff reviewed last year's pilot and community engagement and previewed a forthcoming formal policy amendment required by the governor. "Governor Kotek earlier this summer required all schools to ban K-12 cell phones and personal devices beginning Jan. 1, 2026," said Dr. Shelley Regiani, teaching and learning associate superintendent.

The nut of the district's approach is continuity with the pilot: elementary and middle school practice remained largely the same, and high schools moved from a "pack it or park it" pilot to a bell-to-bell prohibition during the school day. "We piloted last year the idea of pack it or park it, which was very successful," Todd Corsetti, high school executive director, told the board. Under…