Beaufort schools discuss phone regulations as they wait for state action | Beaufort County

HILTON HEAD ISLAND — Superintendent Frank Rodriguez introduced a preliminary ordinance aimed at limiting cell phone use during the May 21 Beaufort County Board of Education meeting.

The draft proposal creates a progressive plan for disciplining students who use electronic devices during class time, with a few exceptions for medical situations and emergency personnel. Currently, the board’s policies set strict parameters for phone use, but the proposed rules are more robust.

The summary provided to the board outlined possible tools the district could use, including a phone lock case, which staff said was likely too expensive, or a hanging locker, which could create liability issues because the district would temporarily take possession of the phones.

Rodriguez asked school officials to allow his staff to continue refining a solution to a problem that has crossed county, state and even national boundaries.

While school board staff study, lawmakers in Columbia are still considering legislation that would restrict the use of the devices statewide.

In the Hilton Head Middle School library, where Beaufort’s school board met, representatives revisited the nuances of the debate in a seminar-style discussion, parsing it like students with frogs.

Officials say phones disrupt learning, but law enforcement poses the biggest challenge in removing distractions, putting teachers in confrontational positions. Many agreed that announcing the plan before the state made a final decision would cause confusion. Some suggested reaching out to students for advice. Regardless of the solution, the key to gaining support from all entities in schools will be an effective communication plan.

Rodriguez seemed interested in giving individual schools the freedom to develop their own process.

“This solution is about one school culture, which means you have to realize that teachers are part of the equation. It is naive to think that three or four people in administrative positions in a school will be able to take over all the responsibilities for 1,400 children in a school,” Rodriguez said.

The school board directed Rodriguez and his staff to investigate potential regulations restricting phone use during class time.

After the board engaged in a telephone discussion about airplane mode, officials voted to adopt a $359 million budget for the upcoming school year that included a $2,500 increase in teacher base pay. The budget is 12 percent. greater than in the previous year. The budget does not include a tax increase.

At the end of the meeting, school board member Rachel Wisnefski announced that she would step down from her position on the elected body by the end of June due to moving out of the area.