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Board discusses bell-to-bell cell-phone ban and app pilot to limit classroom distractions
Summary
At first reading the board discussed a proposed bell-to-bell cell-phone ban for students and a pilot of an app that restricts phone internet access and provides a teacher dashboard. Administrators said the tool can integrate with Genesis and that exceptions and medical waivers would be available; board members raised equity, enforcement and privacy concerns.
Board members considered options for a proposed policy to ban student cell-phone use during instruction and discussed a technology pilot used by other districts that limits phone functionality while at school.
An administrator (Speaker 6) described a pilot product (referred to variously in the meeting as Doorman/DoraMan/Dorman) that converts a smartphone into a limited-function device while school is in session and provides a teacher dashboard integrated with the district's Genesis system. The dashboard, the presenter said, can show whether a student has activated the app for the day and can flag deactivations to administration.
The administrators said the district examined alternatives such as pouches or locker storage but viewed the app as more cost-effective and flexible. They emphasized the need to define whether the policy applies on school buses or during after-school activities, how medical waivers will be handled, and how to treat students whose families decline to download an app.
Teachers and board members asked about enforcement burden, privacy, how the app interacts with attendance and whether students could be marked absent if they forget a phone. The administration clarified the dashboard is not an attendance system; it identifies whether the student's phone app is activated. The district also plans communications and a campaign to begin Aug. 1 to inform families of the approach.
No final policy was adopted; the proposal remains in first-reading form while administrators work with counsel and stakeholders on implementation details and equity safeguards.
