District policy keeps student phones off through the school day

What happened

Policy 09.4261 generally prohibits personal-device use during instructional time except for an emergency, teacher-directed instruction, or teacher authorization; disability-authorized devices are excluded from its definition. A separate rule says phones are to remain off from building entry through the end-of-day bell, while SBDM councils may approve curricular phone use. A confiscated device may return to the student after a first violation and only to a parent or guardian after later violations. The detailed warning, removal, and suspension ladder applies only in schools without SBDM councils.

Why it matters to families

The rule applies districtwide and directly shapes students' daily access to phones and other personal devices.

The evidence

The current official policy was adopted or amended June 19, 2025 under Order 11319. It is retained as current-policy context from before the trailing-year window and states both the general rules and the narrower consequence ladder for schools without SBDM councils.

The source