District to survey parents, staff and students before finalizing cell phone rules

The policy committee heard an update on the district’s work to revise the cell phone policy and the timetable for finalizing a regulation.

Ralph Valenzizi told the committee staff and students have already contributed to policy drafts: students presented earlier this year and staff completed surveys. Administrators plan to release the parent survey during the first week of school to maximize response rates and expect to compile results to inform any further edits.

Valenzizi said the goal is to bring a regulation back to the committee in September and to implement the policy in the early weeks of the school year (September–October), pending the survey results. He described the process as inclusive and “a great process,” noting students, teachers and staff contributed feedback.

The item was for discussion only; no regulatory vote took place at the meeting. Committee members welcomed the staged approach and emphasized the need to gather parent input before moving to a final regulation.