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Board hears proposal to standardize student phone rules; directors press for clearer enforcement and equity
Summary
District staff proposed a tiered approach to student cell-phone use — elementary bans, middle-school ‘away for the day,’ and limited high-school access — prompting board questions about enforcement, accommodations for students with health or safety needs, and clearer success metrics.
District staff presented a recommended update to the superintendent procedures governing personal devices, saying their engagement with five schools and surveys of principals and students support a differentiated approach.
Carlos Del Valle, the district’s technology official, summarized a citywide study involving Hamilton Middle School, Robert Eagle Staff, Ballard, Rainier and others. Staff reported benefits observed in some schools after tighter phone limits — improved instructional time, increased student focus and fewer reported online incidents — and said application of rules varies widely across schools. As a…
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