Students weigh in on smartphone-use policy as AB 3216 nears effective date

On May 20, 2025, the Santee School District Board of Education held a special meeting at Douglas E. Giles Educational Services to gather student input on a draft policy governing student use of smartphones on campus. Board President Barbara Ryan called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m.; members present included Dianne El-Hajj (Vice President), Dustin Burns (Clerk), Dr. Tim Glover and Tracie Thill. The superintendent, Dr. Kristin Baranski, was listed as administration present.

The agenda centered on AB 3216, which the minutes note will take effect July 1, 2026. Student representatives reviewed the draft policy and worked in small groups to answer four enforcement-focused questions supplied by the board: how best to enforce the policy, what consequences staff should apply when they see or hear student phones, what the greatest enforcement challenges would be, and whether students have observed misuse of smartwatches or other wearable technologies (such as smart glasses) and how those should be handled. The minutes record that there were no public comments and that the board did not take formal action; the meeting was adjourned at 5:50 p.m.