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Board directs Neola to draft ‘turned off/out of sight’ cell-phone policy, asks staff to prepare logistics
Summary
Trustees agreed to ask Neola to develop a district cell-phone policy that would require devices be turned off and out of sight during school hours, with exceptions for medical or instructional uses; board approved communication to parents and referral to the policy committee for options.
The Winneconne Community School District board gave staff and Neola direction to develop a new electronic-device policy that would require student phones to be "turned off and out of sight" during the school day while preserving medical and instructional exceptions.
An administrator presented a draft that proposed removing student access to devices in classrooms, hallways and lunches, with proposed enforcement steps (documentation on first violation, escalating office involvement on repeat violations) and exceptions for medical-device usage. The draft also described options for device storage—secured locations, locker storage, or commercial solutions such as Yonder pouches.
Trustees’ questions focused on logistics and cost. One trustee estimated a middle- and high-school implementation with Yonder pouches could cost about $10,000; staff cautioned about staffing needs, storage logistics and students who require device access for health reasons. Administrators emphasized that exceptions for documented medical needs would remain in the policy.
Several trustees recommended reviewing neighboring districts’ policies (Nina, Medford) and having Neola prepare multiple wording options for the board. "Let's send a policy to Neola for wordsmithing that fits our current policies and educational requirements," one trustee said, and the motion to refer options to Neola and the policy committee passed.
The board asked staff to begin parent communication now to explain the district’s direction for the coming school year and to return to the policy committee with documented options on enforcement and logistics before final adoption.
No binding policy was adopted at the meeting; the board’s action was a direction to develop and return with formalized policy language and implementation plans.
