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State‑mandated bell‑to‑bell phone ban forces district regulation decisions: lockers, clear pouches and disciplinary ranges debated
Summary
New Jersey statute requires a bell‑to‑bell ban on student personal internet‑enabled devices. The district presented regulations proposing locker storage for grades 6–8 and clear locked pouches for grades 9–12; board members raised logistical and disciplinary concerns, including open‑campus impacts and whether out‑of‑school suspension should be used.
District staff reviewed the state requirement that districts adopt a bell‑to‑bell prohibition on student personal internet‑enabled devices and discussed how the regulation will implement the law locally.
"The bell‑to‑bell prohibition itself is non‑negotiable," the presenter said, adding that there are seven statutory exemption categories including IEP/504 accommodations, health and emergency exceptions. The regulation the administration drafted would allow district‑managed devices to remain in use while restricting student personal devices.
For storage, the draft proposes backpacks/off for PreK–5; personalized homeroom lockers for grades 6–8; and a clear locked pouch that students carry for grades 9–12 with a supervised kiosk to unlock devices for open‑campus sign‑out. The board extensively debated logistics: how to process hundreds of open‑campus students in a short lunch period, who supervises kiosks, the risk of lost pouches and whether parents can call the school to deliver a phone in an emergency.
Board members also objected to proposed out‑of‑school suspension ranges for repeat infractions. One member urged alternatives, suggesting loss of open campus instead of suspension so students do not miss instructional time. Presenters said the regulation provides ranges to allow discretion by administrators and that the district will revisit the regulation before adoption in August.
