The Pond Springs City Council voted 4–1 on Dec. 17 to deny a staff recommendation that would have supported prohibiting student cell phone use during the school day and encouraged the Palm Springs Unified School District to adopt a standardized "away for the day" policy.

City staff (Speaker 1) told the council the proposed resolution was intended to improve classroom learning, student safety and mental well-being, saying the middle schools have reported "growing challenges associated with student cell phone usage during instructional hours, including classroom distractions, social media related conflicts, anxieties among students, and hindered academic performance." Staff described the draft policy as requiring phones to be turned off and stored in backpacks, lockers or school-provided locking pouches, with access allowed only by staff in designated situations.

Supporters at a public hearing said phones fuel fights, distractions and anxiety. An administrator at Raymond Cree Middle School (Speaker 5) said school staff spend significant time addressing incidents tied to social media: "I spent a lot of time dealing with fights and nonsense and bickering and arguing all because of things that are posted on social media." Other speakers urged the council to back a ban to protect students' emotional well-being.

Opponents raised safety and jurisdictional concerns. A resident/commenter (Speaker 6) asked what would happen in an emergency, saying, "what if, like, it's dangerous, like, let's say a school shooter... she couldn't get to her phone and answer her family... I don't think that should be a rule because of stuff like that." An English teacher (Speaker 9) urged a more limited approach, arguing phones can be instructional tools and recommending policies that allow responsible use rather than an absolute classroom ban.

During council discussion, a council member (Speaker 7) said they were "not in favor of supporting the policy only due to safety concerns" and moved to deny the staff recommendation rather than adopt the prohibition. After a brief, somewhat confused roll-call process the mayor (Speaker 2) announced, "Motion carries 4 to 1."

The item was framed as a request for council direction and a nonbinding expression of support to the Palm Springs Unified School District; the council's vote to deny the staff recommendation means it did not adopt a resolution in favor of prohibition. The council closed the public hearing and adjourned the meeting following brief closing remarks and photographs.