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Board adopts updated acceptable‑use policy, pledges separate review of cell‑phone rules
Summary
The Kennett Consolidated School District board voted to adopt a revised Acceptable Use Policy (8.15) after public comment and debate; several board members directed administration to prioritize a separate, stakeholder‑led review of cell‑phone and personal‑device rules.
The Kennett Consolidated School District Board voted to adopt an updated Acceptable Use Policy (Policy 8.15) after public comment and extended debate about how the policy treats personal electronic devices.
A parent who signed a petition spoke during public comment and questioned language that the draft says mobile phones and other devices are an "integral part" of students' daily lives. The commenter said that characterization risks normalizing harmful technology use and urged the board to delay finalizing any device rules until teachers, parents, students and medical experts are consulted.
Board members raised two recurring concerns during the discussion: whether the policy should leave classroom device decisions to individual teachers (which could produce inconsistent enforcement) and whether the district should create a separate, expedited policy specifically for cell phones rather than folding device rules into the broader acceptable‑use document. Several members asked administration to gather comparative data from other Chester County districts and to solicit feedback from teachers and students before completing a cell‑phone policy.
The board held a procedural vote on the updated Acceptable Use Policy as presented; no floor amendment was made and the motion carried. After the vote, the board president directed administration to prioritize work by the policy committee to prepare a standalone review of cell‑phone rules with a clear stakeholder engagement timeline.
The administration said the updated policy includes a teacher‑discretion provision (Section 6) allowing classroom teachers to permit or restrict device use when it supports learning objectives; board discussion emphasized that the district will return to the issue promptly and that any separate cell‑phone policy should address consistency and enforceability.
Next steps: the board requested a timeline and stakeholder outreach plan for the cell‑phone review; administration suggested a target for community feedback in the late fall or early winter and said the policy committee would shepherd revisions.
