Valparaiso board delays vote on new school cell-phone policy after parents and teachers raise concerns

Valparaiso Community Schools board members paused a planned adoption of a districtwide wireless-device policy on June 8 after parents, students and teachers urged clearer language about how devices would be stored, when school-issued devices may be used in class and how students with 504 plans or individualized education programs would be treated.

At the start of the public-comment period, parent Jennifer Hora told the board the draft posted online lacked a critical provision identifying "the method the school will use to store the device," and said the policy’s discipline language was vague and potentially punitive. "There's a lot of rumors... and the punishments are not spelled out," she said. Another parent and high-school parent, Christina Roer, said the draft reached too far — potentially covering wearable fitness devices such as Garmins — and warned heavy-schedule students and athletes could be harmed if access to necessary devices were restricted.

District administrators and staff framed the debate around a new Indiana law that limits what schools may do with personal wireless devices during the instructional day and requires districts to have a compliant policy in place by July 1. John (district administration) told the board guidance from the state was still being finalized and recommended a transition away from bring-your-own-device (BYOD) toward school‑issued devices for instructional purposes to address equity and compliance concerns. "To the extent that it is necessary to have a device, it's going to be a school-provided device instead of a bring-your-own device," John said.

Board and staff discussion focused on four practical questions: where and how devices will be stored (lockers or cubbies were the most-discussed options), whether teachers may permit school‑issued devices for specific instructional tasks and for how long, how the district will handle students who need devices for documented medical or disability accommodations under 504/IEP plans, and how to treat smart watches and other wearables that can receive messages. Board members and teachers pressed for explicit exceptions so students who need devices for health or legally protected accommodations will retain necessary access even if an incident triggers confiscation.

Teacher representatives, including Todd Winland, president of the teachers' association, urged language that makes enforcement practicable for classroom staff. "Personal devices are treated differently than school-issued devices and a personal device cannot be on their person accessible at all during the instructional day," Winland said, arguing that clear, non‑discretionary procedures help frontline staff apply the rule consistently.

Members acknowledged the practical burdens the policy could impose — for example, students who transition between buildings for career‑tech programs or athletes who need wearable devices — and said minor schedule adjustments or explicit transition exemptions could be used to reduce disruption. The board said it would work to clarify the policy’s timing language (defining "school day" as the span from the start of first class to the end of the last class rather than the first audible bell), add explicit 504/IEP protections, and specify storage logistics before a future vote.

No final vote was taken; board members said they will return with revised language and further stakeholder input in the coming weeks to meet the July 1 deadline required under state law. The board asked administration to refine: the storage-method clause, graduated discipline steps rather than blanket references to suspension/expulsion, precise language about teacher‑authorized instructional use of school‑issued devices, and treatment of wearables that can communicate.