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Board approves high-school handbook changes on cell phones, head coverings and AI guidance
Summary
The board reviewed and approved changes to the high-school handbook that require classroom pocket holders for cell phones, allow head coverings unless distracting, and set guidance for handling student work involving artificial intelligence; administrators said enforcement will rely on teacher familiarity and Google Suite originality/revision tools.
The board reviewed Exhibit E1e and approved proposed changes to the high-school handbook affecting student devices, head coverings and the use of artificial intelligence.
On cell phones, the handbook will ask students to place phones in numbered pocket holders at the classroom entrance (a system described as a shoe-holder-style pocket) rather than require students to store phones in lockers across the board. Administrators said teachers can still take phones that become a classroom disruption and give them to administrators.
On head coverings, the handbook language was clarified to allow hats, caps, scarves and hoodies generally unless staff determine they are distracting or not appropriate in a particular classroom setting.
On artificial intelligence, administrators said the district will treat AI tools as a resource similar to the internet and that student work must still be the student’s own. The district will use Google Suite originality reports and the revision history in Google Docs as primary enforcement and detection tools; administrators said review of a student’s revision history often reveals whether the work reflects the student’s process. "It's not a … we don't have like you said a system in place," an administrator said, adding teachers' knowledge of their students' writing will be important.
Why it matters: The changes affect daily classroom operations and academic-integrity expectations at the high school. The AI guidance signals the district’s approach to emerging technologies and relies on teacher judgment and document metadata for enforcement.
