RE-1 school board gets first look at new, stricter cellphone policy – ​​Sterling Journal-Advocate

The RE-1 Valley School District wants to keep cellphones and other personal technology devices out of classrooms. At a business meeting Monday, the school board got its first look at a new, more stringent policy regarding student cellphone and PTD use.

This is becoming an increasing problem in classrooms, not only in high schools and middle schools, but also in elementary schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Martin Foster, outlining the draft policy.

Under this policy, PTDs include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, laptops, headphones, earphones, smartwatches, and any other technology device that beeps, vibrates, displays a message, or otherwise calls or communicates with the possessor of such device.

Under the updated policy, students in kindergarten through eighth grade are prohibited from using PTDs on school or district property, while high school students are prohibited from using them during class or instructional time, and all students are prohibited from using them while in a vehicle sent by the district or one of its schools during the school day. High school students may use the devices during recess, lunch, and school-sponsored programs, events, or activities outside of the classroom or instructional time, unless doing so interferes with or reduces the student’s ability to hear school personnel announcements or emergency alarms.

Students in grades PreK-8 are encouraged to leave their devices at home, and if they bring them to school, they must be turned off and stored in the student’s backpack or locker during the school day. At the secondary level, students must turn off their PTDs when they enter a classroom or other instructional area or district vehicle and store them in a backpack, locker or school-designated area.

There are some exceptions. Students may possess and use PTD when specifically permitted under the student’s current Individual Education Plan (IEP), Section 504 accommodation plan, or health care plan, or for educational purposes, in accordance with specific school procedures and under the supervision of the school principal.

Students who violate this policy will first receive a verbal warning and be instructed to turn off and/or store their PTD in an appropriate location, and staff will file a conduct report with Infinite Campus to document the verbal warning. A second offense will result in the PTD being confiscated and stored in the main office and returned to the student at the end of the day, and a conduct report will be filed, and a third offense will result in the previously mentioned consequences, and the student’s parent/guardian will be contacted to arrange for the PTD to be picked up. Staff, the student, and the student’s parent/guardian will develop a plan for the student to check in the PTD to the main office before class and pick up the PTD at the end of the day, and this plan will be reviewed each semester and continued for any reason deemed necessary by the administration in its sole discretion.

For subsequent offenses, the student will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with board policy. If the building principal or designee believes that the student’s possession or use of PTD may involve a violation of the law, the building principal or designee may also refer the matter to law enforcement.

Dr. Foster planned to discuss the new updated policy at an administrative team meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and told the board he would present it for a first reading at its Sept. 3 meeting. He cautioned that it was likely that some would support the policy change and some would oppose it.

The board approved the following policies: GBI, criminal history information; GCBC, supplemental compensation plans for professional staff; GDE-GDF, recruitment and hiring of senior staff; GDE-GDF-R, recruitment and hiring of senior staff; JLDAC-R, notice of rights under the Student Welfare Amendment; and JLDAC, student health screening.

Dr. Foster later shared a very preliminary enrollment report. Right now, enrollment is higher than October 2023 and May 2024. The district should have more accurate numbers after Labor Day, but Dr. Foster reminded the board that they were very conservative in their enrollment estimates for this school year, which determines state funding, so he doesn’t anticipate any issues with meeting the projected enrollment this year.

He also informed the board that on Friday he met with Neenan Archistruction, the company developing the RE-1 master plan, which is 99 percent complete, and that they plan to be at the Aug. 20 administrative team meeting to provide more information about school security. They will also be at the Sept. 3 board meeting, and at some point the board will have to decide whether to apply for a BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) grant this school year, which would primarily cover security upgrades, or focus first on hiring a new superintendent.

The BEST grant would require a 38% match from the district. The grant application that Neenan could help with would have to be submitted in February, and the district would find out if it receives the grant in April or May.