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Board debates administrative regulation on mobile devices and adopts updated discipline policy
Summary
After extended discussion about enforcement, equity and thresholds for consequences, the Chico Unified board adopted revised board policies including discipline policy BP 5144 (3–1, one absent) and heard an informational presentation on a new administrative regulation (AR 5131.8) that would restrict student mobile-device use and outline progressive consequences and behavioral contracts.
Chico Unified trustees on June 26 adopted a series of updated board policies and engaged in an extended discussion about a new administrative regulation (AR 5131.8) addressing student mobile communication devices. The board approved the package of policies, but pulled Policy 5144 (discipline) for focused debate before adopting it by roll-call vote, 3–1 with one member absent.
Staff presented the draft AR to the board, which differentiates expectations by site level (elementary versus secondary), defines emergency exceptions and restorative-practice responses, and establishes progressive consequences up to behavioral contracts that could require a student to turn in devices daily. "The student may be placed on a behavior contract and required to turn in their device to the administration daily," the AR text reads in the draft presented; some board members expressed concern the draft's use of "may" created too much site-level discretion and asked for firmer thresholds.
One board member warned that too much ambiguity could lead to inequitable enforcement. "The word 'may' is always, kind of a little bit of an orange flag for me," the board member said, pressing for clearer rules on when daily device surrender would apply. Other members and staff countered that the AR is intentionally flexible to allow administrators to weigh individual circumstances and rely on behavioral contracts and parent involvement when necessary.
Board Member (speaker 6) said he planned to vote no on the discipline policy on principle, citing prior board discussion that limited taking away recess; other members cited recent state legislation and Education Code references as driving required policy changes. One member referenced SB 291 and an Education Code citation in the discussion as statutory context for the proposed language. After the debate the board approved the discipline policy update by roll call, with three in favor and one opposed.
Because the mobile-device document was presented as an administrative regulation (informational), the board did not vote on AR 5131.8 that night but asked staff to provide implementation evidence and early follow-up data — including surveys and a November check-in — to monitor consistency of enforcement across sites.
