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Rhinebeck policy committee presents device policy and multiple policies for first reading
Summary
Trustee Young reported that the policy committee forwarded several policies for first reading, including a required student device policy that the district must adopt by Aug. 1, 2025, to comply with the state education law referenced during the meeting.
Trustee Elizabeth Young reported to the board that the policy committee reviewed a wide range of policies and recommended several items for first reading. She listed policy 4,511 (textbook selection and adoption), policy 5,151 (student attendance and regulation), policy 5,695 (students and personal electronic devices), and policy 57 10 (school safety and education climate reporting) among items up for first reading.
On the device policy, Trustee Young said the requirement stems from a provision in state education law and that all districts and BOCES must adopt a policy governing Internet‑enabled devices by Aug. 1, 2025. She outlined required policy elements discussed by the committee: generally banning Internet‑enabled devices during the school day with specified exceptions (disabilities, medical care, translation, emergencies, school‑provided devices and specific educational uses), methods for on‑site storage, methods for parent contact to students during the day, consultation with parents and bargaining units, and translation of the policy into commonly spoken languages upon request.
Trustee Young said the committee reviewed roughly 210 policies during the comprehensive policy review cycle and that drafts and NISPA model language are available in board documents for public review prior to first reading. The board advanced the listed policies to first reading; final adoption will follow standard public‑comment and notice requirements where applicable.
What happens next: The district must complete the public process for the first‑reading policies and adopt the device policy by the Aug. 1, 2025 deadline referenced at the meeting. The transcript indicates the policy committee will continue staged reviews of remaining policy sections in the coming year.
