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School board directs staff to draft stricter rules on cell phones, smartwatches and smart glasses with junior‑high options
Summary
The Campbell County School District #1 board asked staff to draft a districtwide policy banning smart glasses K–12, restricting smartwatches at elementary level, and to produce two junior‑high options (bell‑to‑bell ban or classroom‑only) for further review; drafts are due to the policy committee and back to the board for consideration in May.
The Campbell County School District #1 Board of Trustees on Thursday directed staff to draft formal policy language that would tighten rules on student use of cell phones and smart devices across the district.
The board, after hearing a policy‑committee summary of an October survey with more than 4,000 responses, endorsed a recommendation to ban smart glasses in K–12 schools outright and to prohibit smartwatches at the elementary level. For junior high, trustees asked staff to prepare two alternative policies for review: a bell‑to‑bell ban and a more limited classroom‑only prohibition. At the high‑school level the committee recommended allowing possession but forbidding use during class time.
“...we need to give some direction right now,” the Chair said as trustees debated enforcement logistics and parent engagement. Trustees stressed the need for a uniform consequences hierarchy across school levels but agreed exceptions should be documented and made available for medical devices and curriculum needs such as photography or journalism.
Board members and committee presenters emphasized teacher and principal input. Committee members said principals and teachers generally supported firm limits, noting enforcement challenges such as the proliferation of earbuds, smartwatches that mirror phones and emerging stealth devices. Trustees discussed practical measures — classroom receptacles, rolling cubbies or teacher‑managed bags for field trips — and asked staff to include implementation and exception processes in the draft.
The board set a timeline: the policy committee will meet May 4 to review drafts and the board will take the drafts up at the May 12 meeting. District staff were asked to return two versions for junior high so trustees could compare the consequences and enforcement implications.
Why it matters: Trustees said the move is aimed at reducing in‑class distractions and addressing concerns about student well‑being and social engagement raised by parents and teachers during committee outreach.
What happens next: Staff will draft the policy language, including uniform consequence guidelines and documented exception procedures, and present alternatives for junior high at policy committee and then the board in May. No binding district policy was adopted at Thursday’s meeting; trustees provided direction only.
