Policy committee tightens student device rules; code of conduct updated to reflect phone policy

The Policy Committee approved revisions to Policy 129.1 on responsible use of technology and corresponding edits to the student code of conduct to reflect the district's cell phone rules.

District attorney Matt Hockley told the committee that the district's cell phone approach has largely met expectations. He said the revised policy removes earlier location-specific exceptions (such as limited allowances in lunchrooms) and applies a consistent prohibition across elementary, middle and high schools.

The code of conduct changes (presented later in the meeting) place unauthorized use of devices as a level 1 offense; repeated violations requiring a student to leave a phone at the office can be treated as a level 2 offense. Hockley explained that "unauthorized use of the device would be considered a level 1 offense" and that intentional failure to follow a direction to leave the device in the office could escalate disciplinary classification.

Committee members proposed minor wording and formatting corrections (for example, adding the word "communication" in one subsection and removing a stray dash) before voting. A motion to approve the responsible-use policy and the code-of-conduct amendments passed by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will incorporate the suggested wording edits and ensure the student code cross-references the responsible-use policy consistently. The changes will be placed into the district's published code of conduct and student-facing materials ahead of the school year.