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Cloverdale trustees push for consistent enforcement of no-phone policy amid mixed site implementation
Summary
Sites reported varied implementation of the district’s mobile-device policy — caddies, backpack storage, Excel violation trackers and restorative responses — while teachers and community members urged clearer districtwide enforcement and parent outreach.
Board members and staff devoted substantial discussion to implementing the district’s mobile-communication-device policy after site presentations and public testimony.
Site leaders described steps taken this year: Jefferson put classroom posters and caddies in place and maintains a violations log; Washington requires phones to stay in backpacks and uses restorative conversations before escalated discipline; the high school reported ongoing challenges with an open campus and devices such as smartwatches.
Multiple speakers urged consistent enforcement. Robin Wilkerson, who identified herself as a Cloverdale High math teacher, said the lack of uniform practice creates unequal classroom conditions and argued for stronger districtwide enforcement, linking devices to attention and student mental health.
Wilkerson told the board: "a major portion of mental health issues in our students comes from these stupid little devices," and urged the administration and board to give teachers consistent tools and authority to implement the policy.
Staff and trustees agreed the written policy already requires devices to be turned off during instruction and stored in a designated location during instructional time; one passage in the policy also allows device use during non-instructional time. Trustees asked staff to clarify language (for example, whether instructional time includes lunchtime for sites with closed campuses), to identify designated storage at each site, to begin parent outreach, and to monitor implementation and report back.
The board agreed to begin district messaging, consider providing uniform storage caddies where useful, and keep the policy’s implementation on a standing report so trustees can monitor progress.
What’s next: Staff will clarify policy language, coordinate parent communication, explore site support (caddies, training and PLC sharing of successful classroom practices), and return regular updates to the board.
