Beatrice High presents new personal electronic device rules, outlines progressive penalties

School staff presented a draft personal electronic device (PED) policy for Beatrice High School at the District 15 board meeting, saying it is intended to make classroom expectations uniform and reduce distractions.

"During class time, the personal electronic devices are placed in a hang bag or other storage container by the student and the teacher must and will be directed to use this," said Speaker 5, the staff member leading the committee that drafted the revision. The policy language presented to the board defines PEDs to include phones, smartwatches, iPods, earbuds and similar items.

The committee described a progressive set of consequences in the draft. Speaker 5 summarized the penalties: a first violation results in confiscation and return to the student at the end of the day; a second violation requires parent or guardian pick-up and an additional three school days of device loss; a third violation carries parent pick-up plus five additional school days without the device. Refusals to surrender a device would trigger administrative response and could include removal from class.

The draft also addresses privacy and safety. Speaker 5 said the policy includes an assumed-privacy statement, a search statement allowing school searches when there is reason to believe inappropriate content exists on a device, and a release of liability for lost or unclaimed devices. Officer Lowenstein provided legal context in the session, cautioning against using technology that blocks cell signals because of emergency-phone access needs.

Board members and staff discussed exemptions and implementation mechanics. Speaker 5 and others said students with IEPs or medical needs (for example, monitoring blood glucose via a phone) would be handled case-by-case: "We're not gonna take that away," Speaker 5 said about medically necessary phone use. The district plans to track confiscations through a spreadsheet and provide teachers with hang-bag or box storage tools paid for by the district as needed.

Speaker 5 said the policy is currently drafted for inclusion in the student handbook (which the board approves) rather than as standalone board policy; staff recommended classroom introductions for freshmen, sophomores and juniors and a parental notice period prior to full implementation.

Next steps: staff requested the board consider the handbook placement at an upcoming main meeting and asked for a trial period with data collection and follow-up reporting. The board did not vote on the policy at the meeting.