Policy committee debates phone bans, exemptions and searches in student device policy revision

The New London Board of Education Policy Committee continued its multi-meeting review of Policy 5131.81, Use of Private Technology Devices by Students, during its April 8, 2025 session.

Committee member Elaine Maynard-Adams said she would support banning all phones in the classroom, or at minimum requiring that phones be kept away from students during instruction. Cynthia Ritchie, Superintendent of Schools, said she would agree with prohibiting phones in elementary classrooms. Multiple committee members emphasized that students covered by an IEP, 504 plan, or health care plan must retain necessary access to devices as accommodations. Members also suggested differentiating rules by elementary, middle and high school grade levels and explicitly including earbuds, headphones and AI-enabled glasses in the policy’s scope.

The committee discussed the district’s approach to searching a student’s device if necessary and asked that the policy include procedures for parental notification and for when police would be involved; the transcript records an intention to address notification and involvement but does not specify procedural details. Chair Nathan Caron volunteered to draft a red-lined version of the policy that incorporates the committee’s recommendations. Caron said the committee’s charge at the next meeting will be to finalize proposed revisions and prepare a version for the full board and for communication to families prior to the next school year.

No formal vote on Policy 5131.81 was recorded at the April 8 meeting.