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Personnel committee begins work on state-mandated 'bell-to-bell' cell phone ban; board aims to meet Aug. 1 deadline
Summary
RSU 04's personnel/policy committee discussed implementing a new state law requiring a bell-to-bell student cell phone ban (policy JJ). Committee members described the issue as complex and plan to prepare a policy for board consideration by the state deadline, Aug. 1, 2026.
The district's personnel and policy committee reported to the full board that it has been discussing a new state law that requires schools to adopt a "bell-to-bell" student cell phone ban. Committee members described the policy work as complex and multi-layered and said they will continue work over the summer to craft language that complies with the law and addresses local concerns.
"It brings up a lot of interesting issues and it's very complex and there's a lot of layers to this," committee lead Christie said, noting the committee's intent to ensure the district "put out we do it right." The committee told trustees it expects to have a policy ready for the board by the state-mandated date of August 1, 2026.
The committee also briefly discussed changes to public comment procedures (BEDH) and plans to interview candidates to replace the student representative; those items were not advanced to final policy at this meeting.
No formal board vote on the cell phone policy occurred; trustees were informed about the committee's ongoing work and the timeline for adoption.
Attribution: Quotes and attributions come from the committee reports given at the meeting.
