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Superintendent outlines Strong Readers Act changes and leads extended discussion on student cell-phone limits
Summary
Superintendent Dawn Chancellor briefed the board on the Strong Readers Act's removal of third-grade retention, new graduation-pathway flexibility and Leader in Me training, then led an extensive discussion of potential district cell-phone limits including phone-pouch pilots and community engagement.
Superintendent Dawn Chancellor told the Bartlesville Public Schools board that the Strong Readers Act replaces the Reading Sufficiency Act and removes the automatic third-grade retention requirement tied to a student's third-grade reading test performance.
"It removes the third grade retention requirement," Chancellor said, explaining that other changes exist but that this is the change most people will notice. She told the board that some new graduation requirements will not take full effect until next school year but that seniors could opt into the new pathways this year; she said 14 seniors had already opted in. Chancellor said the changes create more flexibility for students headed to the workforce or military and allow locally approved courses in science and math to count for credit.
Chancellor also updated the board on a district rollout of Leader in Me training: a district coach is visiting schools to align the program with school-improvement goals and the district had completed two training days with work continuing through October.
A major portion of the discussion focused on student cell phones and a book-study the board has undertaken (The Anxious Generation). Chancellor reviewed current district practice by level (elementary: phones largely kept in backpacks/lockers; middle: varying practices including some schools restricting access until end of day; high school: phones allowed outside class but not used during instruction). She described vendor phone-pouch systems (she cited a vendor called Yonder and a Cape Girardeau, Missouri, high-school example) where students check out a locked pouch for the day and swap it back at dismissal.
Chancellor reported student-advisory feedback: some students expressed resistance to pouches, many cited parental contact and extracurricular needs, and some students said they use phones for team/club communications and scholarship information. Board members and staff discussed enforcement challenges, exceptions for students with internships or college classes, the need for clear parent communication, and staff alignment across many high-school classrooms. Chancellor said a pilot or purchase would require board approval and lead time; she suggested January as the earliest feasible pilot.
Board members agreed to continue community engagement and parent outreach and to return the issue for further consideration after additional input.
No formal policy change or vote occurred at the meeting; the item remained a discussion with next steps for study and outreach.
