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Student rep praises cell-phone 'hotel' trial; board weighs MTSS rollout, dual enrollment and policy updates
Summary
Student representative Mia Dubin reported that a new phone-holding policy appeared to increase student attentiveness on the first day. The board also reviewed proposed MTSS training for the middle school, a dual-enrollment agreement with Gwynedd Mercy University, an e-signature resolution to allow the superintendent to sign federal program documents, and several policy readings including quorum/voting changes.
Student leaders and district staff briefed the board Sept. 3 on several education and governance items, with a student-reported trial of a new cell-phone policy drawing near-term attention.
Mia Dubin, the student representative, said freshmen orientation went well and described a new high-school protocol in which students place phones in supervised “phone hotels” during class and retrieve them at lunch or passing times. Dubin said teachers uniformly implemented the policy on the first day and that it appeared to make students “more present in class.”
District curriculum staff presented three items: a proposed agreement for the intermediate unit to develop MTSS (multi-tier system of supports) capacity at Lower Moreland Middle School, a dual-enrollment agreement with Gwynedd Mercy University to expand course access (including personal finance options), and approval of scheduled professional meetings. Mr. Cole said the MTSS work will build the foundations for consistent K–12 interventions and that the IU would train staff on data-driven team structures.
On governance, administration presented an e-signature resolution intended to allow Dr. Best to electronically sign required federal-program documents so held federal grant funds can be finalized. Dr. Best’s appointment as superintendent (effective Aug. 1) had already been recognized in board minutes on record; administration said the resolution is an additional step requested by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for federal funds sign-off.
The board also reviewed first and second readings of a suite of policies, including updates to the administrative organizational chart and changes to quorum and voting thresholds that administration said come from the district solicitor’s legal guidance; administrators proposed forming a policy committee to accelerate overdue manual updates.
Next steps: The board asked for follow-up on MTSS assessment tools and additional dual-enrollment partnerships, asked the student representative to survey students later in the fall about the phone policy’s effects, and scheduled policy items for subsequent meetings. The transcript shows discussion but no recorded final votes on the policy changes in this meeting.
