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Susquehanna Township board reviews electronic-device policy, will remove emergency prior‑approval clause and rush second reading
Summary
At a board meeting, members questioned proposed edits to Policy 237 on personal electronic devices, agreed to remove language requiring prior principal approval for emergency use, and directed staff to circulate a revised draft for a second reading before the school year.
The Susquehanna Township School District Board spent its meeting reviewing proposed edits to Policy 237, the district’s policy on personal electronic devices, and set a fast‑track schedule for revisions.
During the first reading of Policy 237, board members asked whether the draft language originated in the district’s prior policy or came from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA). Staff said most of the draft reflects the district’s 2017 policy with a small number of additions and some language reviewed by PSBA. Members pressed staff for clearer redline formatting that would show what was added and what was carried forward from the 2017 policy.
A substantive point of debate was an exceptions clause that, as drafted, appeared to require prior approval from a building principal or designee before a student could use a device for health, safety or emergency reasons. Board members asked whether that requirement could inadvertently prevent a student from using a phone during an actual emergency. Staff confirmed that the clause “is coming out” of the draft and the language requiring prior approval for emergency use will be removed before the next circulation.
A board member also recommended that the list of exceptions explicitly include students who serve as volunteers for emergency services (for example, volunteer fire, ambulance or rescue squad) and students participating in work‑based programs; staff indicated the volunteer provision already exists in the district’s current (2017) policy and said they could incorporate the requested clarity about student‑responder exceptions.
Because the board does not meet in July, members directed staff to edit the draft and circulate the revised version to the full board before the end of the week so trustees can act on the second reading at the first August meeting. Staff said the goal is to have the updated policy in place before the start of the next school year.
Board members also asked that future policy drafts display additions in bold and deletions with strike‑through so reviewers can easily see changes; staff said the district is transitioning to a new vendor and will preserve clear indications of edits.
The board did not adopt Policy 237 at this meeting; it proceeded to the remainder of its agenda items after setting the editing and circulation plan.
