Marcellus board advances 'distraction-free' code; pouches to hold student phones during school day

The Marcellus Central School District held a public hearing on a revised code of conduct that implements the district's "distraction-free schools" initiative and a new internet-enabled device policy, and the board advanced the policy toward final approval.

A district staff member said the key language change appears on page 14 of the draft code: students in grades 7 through 12 will be issued a pouch for their internet-enabled device that must remain inside the student's backpack during the school day. "Students in grades UPK through 6 are encouraged to not bring any personal Internet enabled devices to school, but if they do they must place them in silent mode and stored in their backpack and cubbies for the remainder of the school day," the district staff member said.

The staff member described the enforcement plan: first offenses will be recorded in SchoolTool, and a repeated offense will lead to staff contacting parents to pick up the device. "If a principal has to confiscate a phone a second time, they're going to know because it will be in SchoolTool... after the first offense, if there's a second offense, we will be asking parents to come and pick up the cell phone," the staff member said. The district expects the pouches to arrive before the school year begins and plans to collect them at the end of the year; families may be charged $10 to replace damaged or unreturned pouches.

The board's chair reiterated the process for public input: the draft will be posted on the district website for 30 days and returned to the board for final approval at the Sept. 15 meeting. The policy was presented for a second and final reading and the motion to adopt the policy passed at the meeting.

Why it matters: The change shifts how the district manages student access to internet-enabled devices during instructional hours and creates an operational protocol (pouch issuance, documentation in SchoolTool, and parent pickup) that will affect families, teachers and building administrators once implemented.

Student voice and implementation details: A board member identified as Parker said students have discussed the change and anticipated an adjustment period. Staff said the district will run assemblies and communications in early September to support transition and that mitigation and documentation procedures are in place for enforcement.

Next steps: The board set the administrative steps to post the draft for community comment for 30 days and to consider any feedback before finalizing the code on Sept. 15. The district will document device confiscations in SchoolTool and report that data the following school year.