NISD releases personal communication device policy

Following a meeting of the Newcastle ISD Board of Trustees last week, the district released their new communication device policy in line with House Bill 1481.

The district will require all students to leave their electronic devices at home or power them off and store them away while on the campus. 

Devices will not be allowed to be used at any time during school hours.

The list of devices not allowed are cellphones, tablets, smartwatches, paging devices, headphones, earbuds, gaming devices or any other electronic device capable of telecommunication or digital communication. 

This does not include an electronic device provided to a student by the district. A school-issued device used for instruction and learning is exempt from the policy.

Under the NISD policy, students may bring devices to school but they must be stored away securely during the school day in a backpack or locker. Students will not be allowed to use these devices during passing periods, lunches or class.

Violation of this policy by a student will result in disciplinary action from the district.

Exceptions to the new policy are students that have an Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or 504 Plan that requires device access, a physician’s order on file for a medical need or permission granted from a school administrator for safety or legal reasons.

Under the district’s previous policy, students were allowed to possess cellphones for safety purposes, but the devices were required to be turned off during the instructional day. 

Students were required to have approval to possess other telecommunications devices such as laptops, tablets or other personal computers.

The previous policy also restricted the use of cellphones by students to call or text parents to pick them up from the campus.

Under the previous policy, disciplinary action for students who used telecommunications devices without authorization was confiscation of the device. Each offense by the student resulted in harsher penalties.

The first offense resulted in a call to a parent or guardian to pick up the phone. The second offense resulted in a call to a parent or guardian to pick up the phone and the student would receive one day of ISS. 

A third offense was two days of ISS, loss of cellphone privileges for the year of the school year and a call to the parent or guardian to pick up the phone.

HB 1481 was signed Friday, June 20 by Gov. Greg Abbott and prohibits use of personal communication devices on school property during the school day. All school districts and charter schools must adopt a policy by Thursday, Sept. 18, or 90 days after the bill was signed. 

The Texas Education Agency distributed guidance for the implementation of new policies for districts throughout the state Thursday, July 31.