Field Local superintendent outlines plan to implement state cell-phone ban; high school to start year in warning phase

Superintendent Mr. Heflinger told the Field Local School District Board of Education on Aug. 11 that several policies on the board’s agenda reflect changes required by the recently enacted state budget (H.B. 96) and that the district will implement the new statewide prohibition on student cell-phone use during the instructional day.

"Keep in mind, this is not a Field initiated policy," Superintendent Mr. Heflinger said, explaining the law defines the instructional day broadly to include class changes, cafeteria time and study halls. He said most of the policies before the board are the result of that legislation and will take effect later in the fall, while the phone rule (statutory effective date Jan. 1) will be implemented at the start of the school year locally.

Heflinger said the district will begin the school year in a warning mode to give students time to adapt. "We will start the year in warning mode to get students used to the new policy," he said, adding that administrators expect the rule to have its greatest impact on high-school students because both elementary and middle schools already prohibit phone use during the school day.

The superintendent identified limited exceptions in the law for students who must monitor medical conditions (for example, glucose monitoring devices) and for emergency situations including active-shooter responses. He said administrators plan a gradual enforcement ramp-up: school leaders will first encourage compliance and later announce the specific consequences and the date those consequences will begin.

Member Matt Slaven, serving as legislative liaison, summarized other H.B. 96 provisions referenced in the meeting: a July 1 deadline for local artificial-intelligence criteria, rules on released time for religious instruction, and open-enrollment protections for families of active-duty service members. Slaven did not propose local changes beyond presenting the report.

Why it matters: The district’s approach means a new, broader ban will cover transitions and communal spaces previously outside some local policies; high-school students who previously could carry phones between classes will now be expected to keep them stowed. The board heard the policy as a first reading item; adoption and the start date for formal consequences will be set in later board action.