Students urge Dickson County board to allow phones at lunch, passing times

Two students asked the Dickson County School Board on Sept. 25 to revise the district’s newly implemented cell‑phone policy, saying the current wording and enforcement have blocked urgent communication and interfered with extracurricular coordination.

Joshua Caldwell told the board the policy connected to “HB 0932” was implemented this year and “prohibits phones during…instructional times” and, as applied in the district, “phones won't be turned on at all.” He asked the board to modify the policy so students may use phones “during lunch, breakfast, and in between the halls.”

Matthew Sweat, who identified himself as “the manager of all teams in the esports program,” gave examples he said show the policy’s operational problems. He said Google Classroom and email do not always provide timely communication and that parents, staff and students commonly use apps such as Remind and group chats. He described an incident in which “more than half the student body did not have their phones on them during the emergency and cannot contact their parents,” and said students were still told to put phones away during that event.

Sweat proposed limited, structured exceptions: allow phones during passing times and meals, empower teachers to permit phones for academic use or exams, and ensure access during emergencies. “Our goal is not to remove structure,” he said, “to create a balanced policy for students for a modern tech driven world.”

Board members thanked the students for their presentations and noted staff would follow up. During later board comments, members referenced student outreach and surveys related to the cell‑phone discussion.

What’s next: The students’ request was made during public comment; the board did not take immediate formal action on changing the policy at the Sept. 25 meeting. Any policy change would require follow‑up by district staff and placement on a future agenda.