Board adopts wireless‑devices policy aligned with state law; students allowed to bring devices turned off

Trustees voted to adopt an ISBA policy implementing the state requirement commonly referenced in the meeting as Senate Enrolled Act 78. The policy moves rules about wireless devices from discipline code into a standalone policy and spells out exceptions and incremental discipline steps for violations.

The presenter explained the district had two options under the law: prohibit bringing wireless devices to school at all, or allow devices on campus provided they are turned off and kept inaccessible during the school day. The district selected the latter option, citing the ability for parents to reach students and other safety considerations.

"We chose that, or we were asking you to choose that because we felt like at the end of the day in our community, getting a hold of parents and when walking home and so on is sort of a safety issue," the presenter said.

The policy explicitly covers cell phones, headphones, connected eyewear and smart watches as examples of wireless devices. The presenter said staff will educate students and parents about the change before the next school year and that the handbook will show the policy as a separate item (page 10 in the packet).

Board member (speaker 5) asked whether the policy was verbatim with the state law; the presenter confirmed it aligns with the enrolled act and that no additional local restrictions were being added.

Trustee (speaker 4) moved to approve the ISBA policy as presented; the motion was seconded and adopted by a 3–0 vote.

The board directed staff to roll out communications to families and to finalize handbook language for the coming school year.