Student members of the Washburn Rural High School site council asked the Auburn‑Washburn USD 437 Board of Education on Monday to adopt a stricter electronic‑device policy that would bar personal phones during instructional time while allowing limited use during advisory, lunch and other noninstructional periods.

The site council’s presentation, delivered by student presenter Enzo Cabrillo and other members, summarized parent and faculty survey feedback and national research. Cabrillo said the council found the district policy “too lax” and reported that faculty observed daily phone use in class. The presentation cited a faculty survey indicating widespread classroom phone use and referenced the district’s Blue Ribbon Task Force review from July 2024.

The proposed language would retain students’ right to possess devices but require that “electronic signaling devices … shall be turned off and kept out of sight during class time or at any other time as directed by a school district employee,” with limited written waivers granted in advance for instructional purposes or extraordinary circumstances. The site council recommended permitting devices during advisory periods, lunch and clubs, and applying progressive discipline — including referral to an administrator and potential revocation of carrying privileges — for instructional‑time violations.

Alex Glasshauser, introduced to the board as a law professor at Washburn, told the board legal considerations must be weighed before adopting a hard ban. “I’m an academic then, not a practitioner, so I’m not giving legal advice to the board,” Glasshauser said, and he cautioned that policies must account for disability accommodations and parents’ need to contact students. He also cited published discussions in bar and medical journals about how districts approach device rules.

Board members pressed presenters on details. Questions included whether accessories such as wireless earbuds and smartwatches would be covered (presenters answered yes), how advisory periods would be handled (presenters said advisory was intended to permit limited phone use on some days but acknowledged clarifications would be needed) and how enforcement would work. The site council said parents and students had expressed concern about completely locking phones away in pouches or remote lockers because of emergency contact and logistical issues at a large campus with five‑minute passing periods; alternatives discussed included visual classroom cues or supervised, nearby cubbies designed to limit use while keeping devices accessible in an emergency.

Presenters and board members agreed that any policy change should be phased in. The board chair suggested starting a new policy at the beginning of the next school year to allow staff, families and students time to prepare.

The board did not vote on the recommendation Monday; members thanked the student presenters and indicated the item will return for further discussion and possibly formal action at a future meeting.