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Parents and teachers split as Platte County School District #1 weighs phone ban revisions
Summary
The district—s policy committee proposed letting students keep phones in backpacks and allow smartwatches but not use them in class; teachers reported fewer classroom distractions under the current ban and urged keeping it with limited exceptions for medical needs.
Platte County School District #1 discussed a petition and policy revisions to IIBA, the district's personal electronic devices rule. The petition called for allowing students to carry phones in backpacks and to wear smartwatches; the policy committee proposed changes that would permit devices in backpacks, lockers or computer bags but prohibit phones and watches from being active or carried on a student—s person during class time.
Speaker 4, summarizing the petition, said the main request was "to allow our kids to have phones on in backpacks and to allow smartwatches to be worn." He said the committee's proposed tweaks would "cover that without allowing them to have them out and available."
School staff who addressed the board generally supported the phone restrictions. Speaker 12 read a letter from teacher Micah Brandt saying the ban had led to "less students from different classes meeting up in the hallways," increased participation, and that teachers saw fewer distractions: "I never see the phones because they were put away ... I think the current phone ban that we have in place is appropriate."
Administrators noted limited exceptions already exist for medical or 504 accommodations and that in emergencies the office can facilitate parent contact. Speaker 12 described an example where a student in distress was escorted to the office to call a parent rather than use a phone in class.
No formal vote occurred during the workshop. Board members said the policy committee's recommendations would be considered again at the regular meeting; public comment will be included in the formal hearing. The board also asked administrators to provide more implementation data (counts of turned-in devices and any disciplinary patterns) at a future meeting.
