Superintendent Outlines BRIC Initiative, Proposes No‑Phone Rule in Schools

The superintendent described a multi‑part BRIC initiative the district will roll out to limit student smartphone use and strengthen parent guidance.

The superintendent told the board the initiative has four prongs: two parent‑focused guidance elements to help families decide when and how to give smartphones; a school‑level rule proposing no phones in classrooms (prong three); and a larger community effort to return to more play‑based childhood experiences. "The third one is no cell phones in schools," the superintendent said when summarizing the plan’s structure.

District staff will set committees, coordinate a social‑media platform with volunteer Karen Vrebeck, and begin in‑class 'push in' sessions with counselors to build age‑appropriate activities for students. The superintendent cited the district’s recent state report‑card results as a motivation for accelerating implementation and described multiple measurement approaches — surveys, attendance, and academic metrics — to track progress.

Board members expressed support for additional presentations to expand community reach and asked how success will be measured; the superintendent proposed surveys, staff and student feedback, and report‑card indicators. The superintendent also referenced external resources for parents, including the 'wait till 8' guidance, and said parts of the initiative will require sustained community engagement to be successful.

What’s next: staff will communicate committee assignments, share parent resources and return to the board with measurement plans and follow‑up materials.