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Kershaw County board adopts state‑aligned student personal electronic device policy
Summary
Trustees approved revised policy JICJ, modeled on the State Board of Education model policy and required by a state proviso, with full enforcement set to begin January; board members raised enforcement and liability concerns.
The Kershaw County School District Board of Trustees voted to adopt a revised policy (JICJ) that prohibits student use of personal electronic devices during the school day, administration told trustees. The policy follows a State Board of Education model policy and must be implemented to comply with a state proviso tied to funding.
"The revised policy is based off the newly adopted State Board of Education model policy," administration said, noting the state adopted the model in September and a proviso requires local implementation by January to maintain state funding.
Board members pressed administration on the policy’s discipline language and practical enforcement. One trustee asked whether the policy’s defiance provision is set by state legislation or is a local interpretation; administration replied that defiance would be handled similarly to other discipline items such as dress code violations and that the district added a procedural step (attending a district discipline hearing on a sixth offense) consistent with existing discipline processes.
Several trustees raised concerns about the logistics and liability of staff confiscating student phones. "What does that teacher do with it? What if it gets damaged, broken, misplaced?" one trustee asked, saying teachers may be asked to hold expensive personal devices.
Administration said it has begun parent, student and staff communications (letters to each group) and will finalize discipline language before widespread distribution. Trustees also clarified effective‑date details during debate; administrators said the policy must be enforced beginning January 1 under the proviso, and local communication and implementation steps will proceed immediately.
A motion to accept administration’s recommendation to adopt policy JICJ passed by voice vote and was recorded as unanimous.
The board did not amend the policy on the floor; trustees directed staff to finalize communications and to continue coaching school leadership on consistent enforcement.
The board packet references the State Board model policy and a state proviso; neither statute nor specific proviso number was cited in the meeting record.
