Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Policy Cell Phones topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board delays final vote on cell-phone policy, asks staff to add field-trip and athletics exceptions
Summary
Board members requested written exception language for Policy 36-30 after staff described a lockbox-based 'away for the day' plan for grades 4–8; the policy will return for approval in August after edits.
Board discussion of Policy 36-30 focused on a proposed cell-phone protocol for grades 4–8 that would keep student devices secured in classroom lockboxes during school hours, with proposed exceptions for field trips and athletics.
A staff member explained the mechanics of the plan: "They will put them in their lock boxes for the day. And then they will get them at the end of the day. Those are on the cart, so they're easy to move around if for some reason there's an emergency." (Staff member, speaker 3). Board members asked that the exceptions be written explicitly into either the policy or the student handbook so that the district would not rely solely on ad hoc practices.
Members discussed allowable exceptions—field trips, athletic events and students leaving campus with parents were cited as reasons a student could have a phone available. The board agreed to defer final approval until August so staff can draft one or two sentences describing the exceptions and circulate the language ahead of the next meeting.
The transcript records no formal vote to adopt the policy at this meeting; instead the board asked staff to return a revised policy for consideration.
