Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy Personal Devices topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board holds first reading of new personal communications-device policy to comply with state law
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Madison presented a first reading of policy 5136, aligning the district with a new state requirement that student devices be inaccessible during the school day; administrators flagged logistical questions about storage, smartwatches and IEP exemptions and will return with a finalized policy.
The board heard a first reading of policy 5136, a new personal communications-device policy drafted to align district practice with a recently enacted state law that requires student devices to be inaccessible from bell to bell.
Superintendent Dr. Madison said the district is including the law's required language and is still addressing operational questions: how "inaccessible" will be interpreted at schools that do not provide lockers, whether backpacks or storage cubbies will be used, costs for secure storage equipment, and how smartwatches and medical/IEP exceptions will be handled.
Dr. Madison said administrators are discussing building-level logistics with principals and staff and will communicate expectations to families and students before implementation. "It's a law, and we're gonna try to put ourselves in a position. We gotta follow the law," she said. The superintendent also noted an example of an emergency exception: staff at some districts have allowed devices briefly to verify student safety during reunification procedures.
Board members asked whether teachers would become "phone police;" administrators said enforcement will rely on cooperation from parents and reporting to building administrators rather than putting enforcement entirely on classroom teachers. District officials said they will return with a revised policy and guidance at a future board meeting in June.
What happens next: The item was a first read; the administration will refine operational details and present a final policy for board action at a later meeting.
