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District plans new cell-phone policy after governor's executive order, aims to adopt by Oct. 31
Summary
Board members discussed a new district policy to align with a governor's executive order that generally requires phones to be powered off and stored during instructional time; the superintendent proposed a drafting committee, a first reading in September and final adoption by Oct. 31, with phased enforcement to avoid classroom disruption.
The meeting devoted its longest discussion to a statewide executive order on student electronic devices and how Winston-Dillard SD 116 will implement it locally. The presenter (Staff member S1) said the order requires districts to have a policy adopted by Oct. 31 and proposed forming a small committee to draft the board's policy.
"The executive order specifies that you have to have policy adopted by October 31," S1 said, and described a timeline that would put a first reading in September and a second reading in October so the board meets the executive-order deadline. S1 said the district already has a cell-phone rule in its handbook and that the new work is primarily about enforcement guidance and staff training.
S1 summarized the executive order's practical expectations: phones should be off, powered off and put away during instructional periods, with an exception that secondary schools with open-lunch periods may allow phone use during lunch. "The expectation is that cell phones will be off, powered off, and put away either in a locker or a backpack until lunch," S1 said.
Board members and staff raised concerns about immediate enforcement on Aug. 25, the first day students return. S1 argued for a phased approach: staff return on Aug. 18 for training, and enforcement should be preceded by clear communication to families and staff to avoid power-struggle incidents in classrooms. "My concern with that is just having staff come back on the 18th... asking our staff to enforce it and putting them in a tough spot," S1 said.
The board agreed to form a policy review committee that will include administrators and invited board volunteers; that committee will draft language for the September first reading and a second reading in October. No final enforcement protocol was adopted at the meeting; S1 said the district expects to finalize details after committee work and staff discussions.
