Casa Grande board reviews limits on student cell phones and social media after HB 2484
Summary
District staff presented required policy changes under House Bill 2484 to restrict wireless communication devices and student access to social media during the school day; board members discussed options, exceptions and implementation timeline and asked for more staff and family feedback before a July read and later votes.
Casa Grande Elementary District officials on June 10 reviewed proposed policy changes required by the recently passed state law House Bill 2484 that will restrict student use of cell phones, smartwatches and social-media platforms during the school day.
District staff member Lisa Bradshaw summarized the law and the policy "read" the board will consider in July, saying, "School day defined in the law is essentially from the time they step onto campus from the time they leave campus." She told the board the statute requires the district to limit student access to social-media platforms and wireless communication devices while on campus and explained exceptions that must be included in policy: use "for educational purposes directed by the teacher, during an emergency," and for medical needs.
The change matters because Bradshaw said the law broadens the district's control beyond school-issued devices; filtering already blocks many sites under the Children's Internet Protection Act but the district plans to block consumer YouTube and allow only YouTube Education for teacher-selected videos. Bradshaw cited district and national data in explaining the rationale: a Common Sense Media figure she shared reported a median of 43 minutes of smartphone use during the school day in a surveyed population and a median of 237 daily notifications, with about 23% arriving during school hours.
Board members asked how the district will enforce limits in practice. Bradshaw described several procedural options under consideration: continue the current practice of asking students to power off and keep devices in backpacks; use classroom pocket pouches; use lockable cabinets; or require storage in individual clear pouches/cases. She said pouches can hold a phone, AirPods and a smartwatch but are more expensive than a locking cabinet; middle schools are the largest site of concern. Bradshaw said she will bring samples and more detailed cost information to July meetings.
Several trustees advocated stricter language. One board member said they would prefer the policy say "ban" for personal devices; others urged clear communication to families about contact procedures so parents can reach students during the school day. Dr. Adam Lecky, the district superintendent, said the district would not rush the work: "We're not gonna rush it," and emphasized staff will seek broad feedback before implementation.
Bradshaw said the district surveyed families in April and May and received "around 200 plus" responses with mixed views: some parents support putting devices away at school, others worry about losing real-time contact with children. Bradshaw said staff will collect more feedback from teachers before drafting procedures and return to the board with recommended policy language in July and proposed procedures at a later date to allow time for outreach and any capital purchases.
The discussion also covered technical steps the district already takes. Bradshaw said the district uses Cisco Umbrella to filter student Internet access and that any school-provided Internet must be governed to block or limit social-media platforms per federal and state regulations. She explained that school-issued Chromebooks and district Wi-Fi can be managed to permit only teacher-selected content and that parents concerned about out-of-school use will be given resources to manage devices at home.
Next steps: district staff will deliver a formal policy read to the governing board in July, collect further staff feedback and present recommended procedures and cost estimates for any storage hardware later in the year. The board indicated they want clear family outreach and teacher input prior to implementation.
The board did not vote on policy language at the June meeting; staff said the board will be asked to approve policy language in July and that procedures would be returned for board review before full deployment.
