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Board rescinds old BYOD policies as district moves to 1:1 Chromebook program
Summary
The board voted to rescind two policies governing bring‑your‑own‑device programs after the district completed a 1:1 Chromebook rollout and adopted a cell‑phone ban; technology staff said the change removes allowances for personal devices on the district network.
The Tallmadge Board of Education voted Jan. 21 to rescind two policies (identified in the agenda as EDEB and EDEB‑R) that governed a prior "bring‑your‑own‑device" approach adopted in 2018. Superintendent and technology staff said the policies are redundant now that the district provides a Chromebook to every student and enforces a cell‑phone ban.
Kurt, the district technology staffer who addressed the board, said the policies were drafted when the district had only partial Chromebook deployment and allowed significant teacher discretion about student devices. "We had some Chromebook deployment at that time, but nowhere near one‑to‑one," he said. "Now we are 1 to 1 with Chromebooks ... so this is basically doing away with the policies that allowed for those cell phones to be used on the board network." The board approved the rescission by roll call.
Board members and administrators framed the change as an update to align policy with current technology and classroom practice rather than a substantive shift in classroom expectations. The rescission removes older rules that allowed personal devices on the district network; the administration said expectations for device use will now be driven by the district's Chromebook program and existing classroom management policies.
The board's action was presented as a routine policy cleanup; trustees voted to rescind the policies and will continue to review device‑use guidance as needed.
