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Madison school board advances fourth reading of wireless-device policy after hours of implementation debate
Summary
Board members reviewed a fourth reading of policies 4403 and 4404 on wireless devices, added an ADA protection clause, removed a disciplinary matrix in favor of restorative examples, and debated passing-period exceptions, storage options and staff burden; no final vote was taken and the measure returns next week.
The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education spent much of its meeting Thursday on a fourth reading of proposed policies 4403 (possession of wireless communication devices) and 4404 (implementation guidance), approving language changes for a future vote but stopping short of formal adoption.
Dr. Blair McCray, the district administrator presenting the update, said legal services and administration revised the draft after the board’s retreat. He read a new standalone sentence added to 4404: "Nothing in this policy shall be construed to deny a student a right afforded them under the American with Disabilities Act," and described the decision to remove the prior progressive-discipline matrix in favor of policy-forward language plus a nonbinding restorative example matrix for schools to use as implementation guidance.
Board members expressed broad agreement with the intent behind the revisions but diverged sharply on how the policy should work in practice. Board member Mosena Felton said she would not be comfortable voting to pass the current iteration because it relies too heavily on classroom-level redirection and does not cover passing periods; she urged options such as school-based phone lockers or RFID-blocking pouches and suggested schools check students’ possession at the start of the day.
"This class-by-class thing, teacher by teacher, is not effective," Felton said, describing experience in high schools where inconsistent enforcement undermines the policy’s goals.
Several colleagues agreed that schools should be able to choose a single, schoolwide approach rather than leave enforcement to individual teachers. "School, not class," one board member said when clarifying that storage expectations should be set at the school level. Board members discussed existing local pilots: La Follette has classroom storage and Vel Phillips Memorial uses an "off and away" approach; West High was mentioned as an example of scale challenges for a school with roughly 2,000 students.
Other members warned against adding heavy new operational burdens without additional resources. Board member Pearson cautioned that making students power down or store devices across multiple daily periods would require budgetary investments — extra staff, designated spaces or hardware — and urged the board to be realistic about implementation timelines.
The draft’s implementation bullets drew scrutiny. Under the example guidance, staff would provide a discrete verbal reminder for a first infraction; repeated redirection could trigger a "focus reset," and staff may temporarily confiscate a device for the remainder of the class period. Several board members pressed administrators to clarify whether "staff" meant the classroom teacher or a support employee, and Dr. McCray said schools already use a mix of solutions including teacher phones and office-based access for students with medical or IEP exceptions.
Board member Shapiro asked about medical and family-responsibility exceptions. McCray said those needs are documented through school nurses or IEPs and that schools already accommodate students who must keep phones available for health or caregiving reasons.
Tensions over public reaction surfaced when one board member criticized abusive emails and social-media harassment directed at the board during the policy debate. "The abuse that this board has taken online and in emails from the public is unacceptable," the member said, warning that abusive correspondence could be made public if it continued.
The administration and several board members said the revision was a reasonable step that could be amended. Board President Castro and committee chairs signaled that the policy committee will receive the draft next week and that the full board can amend the language when the policy is formally submitted for a vote. No vote on policies 4403 or 4404 occurred during the meeting.
The board adjourned after agreeing to continue the matter next week; administrators were asked to prepare the policy for formal consideration and to provide clarity on implementation options, exceptions and likely budget implications.
