Parents and staff press board on phone‑free schools; advisory committee reports strong staff support
Summary
A parent delivered a petition supporting a K–12 bell‑to‑bell phone‑free procedure and an advisory committee reported strong faculty support and plans for further community engagement; administration noted a pending community process and upcoming recommendations.
A community petition and board discussion on phone‑free schools featured prominently during public comment and committee updates.
Emily Donegan, a parent of six and former district employee, read a letter and presented signatures endorsing a bell‑to‑bell phone‑free protocol for all district schools K–12, citing research that uninterrupted, phone‑free days support face‑to‑face student interactions and learning. She read the petition language emphasizing exceptions for documented medical needs and IEPs and suggested storage options such as phone lockers or Yonder pouches.
Later in the meeting a phone‑free advisory committee update said faculty surveys (115 responses in CBU) showed very strong staff support for phone‑free environments at the high‑school level (roughly 87–95 percent positive responses on different questions); committee members said 89 percent of faculty surveyed supported a pilot or phased implementation at the high school starting September 2025. The board heard that a letter of community support presented earlier had gathered more than 350 signatures.
Committee leaders said they plan community nights and further outreach before formal recommendations; administration and board members discussed involving faculty in decision‑making and ensuring any plan accounts for different school contexts. Board members referenced site visits (other districts that implemented phone‑free policies) and asked about storage, parental communications, and equity considerations for students who lack alternative storage or whose families need daytime contact.
No formal policy vote occurred at the meeting; the district’s phone‑free process remains under study with recommendations expected from the advisory committee in December.
