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Board holds second reading and moves to approve state-required student wireless-device policy
Summary
At a second reading, a staff member presented a state-mandated student wireless-device policy (Indiana Code 20-26-5-40.7); the chair moved to approve the policy and discussion focused on permitted exceptions and disciplinary consequences. The transcript does not record the vote result.
Chair opened the second-reading item on a student wireless-device policy required by Indiana Code 20-26-5-40.7 and asked the staff member to read the proposal aloud. The staff member read the policy verbatim, saying the policy "prohibits possessing and or using a wireless electronic device...during the school day" and listing covered devices including cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, digital cameras, gaming devices and smartwatches. The reading noted exceptions for teacher-authorized instructional use, emergency use, medical necessity, IEP or 504 plan accommodations, language-translation when no school-managed device is available, and unobtrusive audio recording limited to spoken word for note-taking.
The chair moved to approve the wireless-device policy "as read." A committee member seconded the motion but prefaced the second with a reservation: "I'll 2nd even though I have a different opinion on it." Board members asked procedural questions and clarified that this policy implements new state law rather than originating in district policy documents. The staff member confirmed the citation, "This is Indiana code 20-26-5-40.7," and said the item would be placed in the district's policy materials for record (Neola updates were referenced separately).
The policy text read at the meeting allows schools to discipline students — including suspension or expulsion — for violations and authorizes administrators to confiscate devices and return them to parents later. The staff member described placement requirements for devices during the school day (stored away in lockers or designated cubbies) and reiterated the listed exceptions. Board members voiced mixed feelings about the measure's strictness but acknowledged the district's obligation to implement the state statute.
The chair called for a vote on the motion to approve the policy. The transcript records the motion and the call for a vote but does not include the board's vote tally or the recorded outcome.
The board also discussed that broader NEOLA policy updates (volume 8, number 2) will be available for review in the superintendent's office and scheduled for a vote at the next meeting.
