Phones locked in pouches for grades 6-12 from September

What happened

On August 11, 2026 the board adopted a new rule on student phones, Policy and Regulation 5516, and abolished the old Policy 2363. Students may not use internet-connected devices from the first bell to the last. In grades K-5 devices are kept at the front of the classroom. In grades 6-12 they go into locked pouches - the board awarded Yondr, Inc. of Los Angeles a $95,799 contract to supply them after bids opened on July 2. Phones are allowed on school buses and at after-school programmes, basic non-internet phones are still permitted, and a teacher can ask administration for permission to let students use a phone in class for a particular purpose. The board also set disciplinary guidelines and asked for a social media post so families would know.

Why it matters to families

This changes the school day for every student in grades 6 to 12: a locked pouch means a phone is not reachable between bells at all, not merely not allowed. Families should know that the ban stops at the bus and at after-school programmes, and that a basic phone without internet is still permitted, because those are the practical ways a child can still be contacted.

The evidence

The August 11, 2026 approved minutes carry the policy committee's summary of the rules - bell to bell, buses and after-school programmes allowed, devices at the front of the classroom in K-5, locked pouches in 6-12, teacher requests to administration, non-internet devices permitted, disciplinary guidelines set - the board's vote to suspend Bylaw 0131 so Policy and Regulation 5516 could be adopted in one reading and be in force for September 2026, the matching suspension to abolish Policy 2363, and the award of contract IFB#2027-040 for cell phone pouches and accessories to Yondr, Inc. at $95,799.

The source