Student survey drives phone-policy review; superintendent outlines core values and summer programs

Students, advisory committees and staff told the Mancos School District Re-6 board on May 18 that a review of the district’s phone policy will be grounded in student and parent survey feedback and two parent forums.

Student speaker Rhett told the board that phones, headphones and other devices were the top concerns reported in student surveys and said engagement with administrators was valuable: "I think one of the biggest thing that's happening ... is all the students being able to work towards and like getting their voice for the phone new phone policy that's being worked on," Rhett said, describing how student input was collected and relayed to administrators.

District representatives and DAC attendees noted that the phone policy language is intentionally general and intended to be supported by guidelines and operational procedures at the school level. Board members and staff said the goal is to build a timeline so a solid draft of operational guidance will be ready by mid-June for review and communication to families before school starts; a final policy change, if any, would follow as needed.

In the superintendent’s report, Audrey Hton highlighted work to articulate district core values and a "portrait of a graduate," reviewed outcomes from recent project-based learning (PBL) expos and thanked volunteers and staff for teacher-appreciation activities. The superintendent also reported that the summer hub partnership is training staff and is close to full enrollment as it moves to licensing this year.

Next steps: staff are expected to return with a draft operational timeline and any recommended wording changes for board consideration this summer so families and teachers can socialize the approach before students return.