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District officials report early gains but call for consistency in enforcing new cell-phone rules
Summary
ISD 191 presented implementation data for Regulation 524 (personal electronic devices). Staff said students report improved concentration without phones nearby, teachers want consistent application and some high-school staff asked for more support; deans outlined a three-level intervention process.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chris Belmont and Eagle Ridge Dean Jen Hall briefed the board on Regulation 524 implementation, the district's response to 2024 state law requiring a formal cell-phone policy. Belmont described a "plan, do, study, act" approach and said elementary practice is largely 'away for the day' while middle and high-school rules allow limited, supervised use in passing time and lunch.
Dean Hall described a three-tiered response for violations: a verbal reminder; for repeat incidents, the device is taken to the office until the end of the day and a parent is notified; for persistent problems a parent-student-administrator meeting establishes an intervention plan. "Level one is a verbal reminder... level two is we bring the electronics to the office to the end of the day... level three intervention, now we see it's presenting a problem and distraction in their school day," Hall said.
The district surveyed staff, students and parents. Belmont said roughly four in five teachers reported increased administrative attention to phone use and that a minority of teachers asked for more coaching on classroom management related to phones. Student focus groups reported fewer distractions and increased concentration without phones nearby; some students said rules feel strict and that some peers find ways around them. Parent focus groups emphasized emergency contact concerns and equitable application.
Administrators reported early behavior-incident trends that suggest higher incident rates among older students and cited disproportionate impacts for some groups, noting particular concern about male students and research that points to disciplinary disparities. Belmont urged consistent staff application of policies and additional classroom-level fidelity checks and walkthroughs to identify high-impact practices to replicate.
Board members asked for clarity in the student handbook, stronger teacher supports and more consistent schoolwide application. Belmont and Hall said the district will continue teacher coaching, principal-led reminders after breaks, and data collection to monitor incident and disproportionality trends.
