Committee forwards stricter student cell-phone ban to full board after public comment

The Policy and Academics Committee voted June 17 to forward proposed revisions to policy JCDAE that would prohibit students from carrying or using cell phones from the time they enter campus until dismissal, requiring devices to be powered off and stored in students' bags.

Mr. Warren introduced the proposal and said high-school administrators brought the recommendation after persistent problems such as students recording video at inappropriate times, listening to music with earbuds in hallways, and frequent class-time distractions. Mr. Herring, who outlined the proposal on behalf of the high-school principals, said the plan would make the instructional day run from arrival through dismissal and require phones to be “powered off and tucked away” for the entire school day.

During his presentation Mr. Herring described a disciplinary matrix the high schools propose: a first offense would be a warning, a second offense would require in‑school suspension and a third offense would lead to out‑of‑school suspension. He said the proposal also includes a new enforcement practice: when a student is caught violating the rule the school will hold the phone until a parent retrieves it; students who refuse to surrender a phone could forfeit the first‑offense warning and face immediate in‑school suspension.

Denise Walker, a parent from St. Charles Parish, told the committee she supported the change and described a middle‑school incident in which a video made to “impress a boy” was then shared widely among students. “If they’re not able to use their phones in between classes, they’re not able to do that kind of thing to their peers,” Walker said, adding that restricting phones would reduce both distraction and harms.

Board members asked for clarification about whether the policy would apply across campus types, including CMC programs, and whether smartwatches would be covered. Administrators said the rule would apply districtwide to middle and high schools; they said wearable devices used clearly as messaging devices could be subject to consequences, while devices worn only as timepieces would not be prohibited.

Several board members urged proactive communication with families and consistent enforcement. Ms. Madden said she wanted stakeholder outreach and consistency across staff so compliant students would not be unfairly penalized. Administrators responded they planned a rollout that would include preview days and videos for families and staff training to ensure uniform application.

With no further public comment, the committee approved forwarding the policy revision to the full school board; the item is scheduled for consideration at the full board meeting on July 20.

Next steps: the full Lafourche Parish School Board will review the proposed JCDAE revisions on July 20, during which time the board may amend, accept, or reject the committee's referral.