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Lake Central board adopts state-mandated rule requiring student devices powered off and secured during school day
Summary
The Lake Central School Corporation board voted July 13 to adopt a state-mandated wireless-communication-device policy that requires student devices to be powered off and stored out of sight from the first bell to the last, with an exception for medical devices.
The Lake Central School Corporation board voted July 13 to adopt a new wireless-communication-device policy required under recent state law, directing that students’ phones and other connected devices be powered off and stored securely during the school day.
Superintendent Mrs. Castaneda told the board the state offered districts two options and the district chose secure storage rather than a full ban: “We could either tell students not to bring any devices to school, which we didn't think would be feasible for our families, or we could allow our students to store their devices securely away during the course of the school day. And so that's the option we chose,” she said. She explained the rule covers cell phones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices, smartwatches that can act as phones and smart glasses, and that devices must be powered off and out of sight from the starting bell until the last bell.
The policy includes a medical-device exception for students who need monitoring equipment (for example, continuous glucose monitors). Mrs. Castaneda said the district will send information to families and asked the board for approval of matching handbook language for elementary, middle and high school handbooks; the board approved both the policy and handbook updates by voice vote.
Board members asked clarifying questions about prior local practices. Mrs. Castaneda said the main change under the state law is eliminating brief checks of devices during the school day and emphasized existing practices that already had students store phones in pouches or lockers would become stricter: “The difference is that in the past, they might be able to take a quick check of it during the school day, and that's no longer allowed per the state.”
The board approved the policy and the handbook changes with no recorded roll-call tally in the transcript; the motion passed by voice vote. The changes take effect for the coming school year and the district will communicate details to families ahead of the first day of classes.
