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Board begins two-reading process to align student wireless-device policy with new state law
Summary
District staff previewed a policy update to rename and align JICJ with Senate Bill 11 and outlined a bell-to-bell prohibition at elementary and middle schools, with high-school instructional use left mostly to teacher discretion.
Board staff introduced revisions to policy JICJ (student wireless communication devices) to align district policy with Senate Bill 11, which the presenter characterized as an “anti-distraction” law that requires districts to adopt a compliant policy by the end of August.
Doctor Miller Tomlinson and district leaders said the policy changes are largely a transfer of existing regulation language into policy so the district meets statutory requirements. Key points discussed:
- Title and definition: The policy will change from “electronic communication devices” to “wireless communication devices” and include a statutory-aligned definition of covered devices.
- Elementary school approach: district principals recommended no wireless-device use during the school day; devices must remain stored bell-to-bell, with after-school exceptions for pickup or bus contact.
- Middle school approach: principals recommended a bell-to-bell prohibition, including passing periods and lunch, with a limited process for principal-approved instructional exceptions (treated like showing a video or movie with principal approval).
- High school approach: guidance will rely more on teacher discretion during instructional time; midday lunch is treated differently due to off-campus movement by students. Students retain access to district-provided devices (laptops) for instructional needs.
- Implementation and supports: district staff said media-literacy and digital-citizenship curriculum components are already in place (K–12) and that an existing media literacy course at the high-school level had been piloted in summer session. Board members and staff discussed enforcement, consistency across sites and parent education; staff committed to placing implementation details in the accompanying regulation and monitoring the rollout. Dr. Tomlinson said the board would be asked to waive a third reading to adopt the policy in two readings (final action anticipated at the August meeting) so the district meets the statutory deadline.
Board members raised practical questions about calculator use in higher-level math (staff said district-provided calculators and laptops are available) and about enforcement; staff said regular principal check-ins and a discipline matrix will guide consistency.
