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Bend-LaPine to revise personal electronic device policy after governor—s executive order; public comment planned
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Steven Cook said the district will publish recommended changes to policy JFCEB-AP for community feedback; the district must finalize the policy by Oct. 31 and implement it by Jan. 1, 2026, with notable changes expected for high schools.
BEND, Ore. — Superintendent Dr. Steven Cook told the board on Sept. 9 that Bend-LaPine Schools will publish recommended changes to the district—s personal electronic device policy (JFCEB-AP) to comply with a governor—s executive order and solicit community feedback over the coming weeks.
Cook said the district plans to post the suggested changes for public input and must have a final copy approved by Oct. 31 so the policy can be implemented by Jan. 1, 2026. He described the changes as more consequential for high schools than K-8 settings and flagged exemptions as an area that will need administrative procedures.
"This has to be fully implemented in the district by January 1 and to be in compliance with the executive order of the governor," Cook said. "We would like to push out these suggested changes into the community and see if it's available out in the community for feedback over the next few weeks."
Exemptions and administrative handling: Director Shirley Olsen asked who will review exemption requests. Cook replied that exemptions will be worked out collaboratively by district and building-level administrators and are not expected to be routine board actions. He said medical needs (for example, a diabetic needing an app) would be straightforward to accommodate, while requests based on job requirements would be harder to grant.
Student Voice Council involvement: Cook and the chair encouraged Student Voice Council members to engage with the review process, noting the policy will affect high-school students in particular.
Next steps: District staff will publish the recommended language for public comment, solicit feedback, and bring final recommendations back to the board by the Oct. 31 timeline; staff said they expect many implementation questions to be handled administratively after board-level adoption.
Provenance: Policy changes and timeline were introduced by Dr. Cook (topic introduced at SEG 1550; discussion about exemptions continues through SEG 1632).
