District principals told the board that student cell-phone use is low in classrooms but smartwatches and parent-to-student texting are driving most recent device incidents.

"Our cell phone policy is the same as the board policy off and away," Tara Piatek said, describing Rotolo Middle School’s approach. Several elementary principals echoed that phones are rarely seen; instead, staff are managing smartwatch notifications and parent texts. Rotolo reported five documented phone-related violations this year, and an elementary presenter said GMS had three office discipline referrals, all involving smartwatches.

At the high school level, administrators described flexible classroom implementations of the district policy — examples include cell-phone pockets or keeping phones in backpacks — and noted more recorded electronics violations at that level. "We have off and away. That is our policy," Batavia High staff said, and they reported 66 electronics violations this year across 10 staff members.

Why it matters: Principals said smartwatches complicate enforcement because parents can text students directly, prompting classroom disruptions or unscheduled parent pickups. Multiple presenters described pragmatic fixes such as asking students to place distracting devices in backpacks and sending clarifying messages to families about board policy.

What the district will do: Presenters said SLTs and teachers will continue consistent messaging to families, use parent communication to reinforce expectations, and monitor incidents via digital care-sheet systems so repeated patterns can be identified and addressed. No formal policy change or vote was taken at this meeting.

Ending: The device conversation was included as part of school improvement presentations and will continue to be discussed as part of midyear reviews and family communications.