Zooming in
Updated in response to House Bill 1481, the district’s electronic policy will no longer allow students to use their personal devices, including cellphones, tablets and earphones, during the school day. As adopted in January, pre-K-first graders will still be prohibited from possessing these devices all together.
Beth Martinez, deputy superintendent chief of staff, said while the district has elected to allow personal devices on campus for grades 2-12, they require them to be off and stored throughout the school day, or from "bell to bell.”
Per the district’s website, any device that is used or visible during school hours may be confiscated, and the student may receive a disciplinary consequence. In the case of an emergency, students are encouraged to go to the campus’ from desk, where parents can leave messages for their students.
Although state law only allows exceptions for personal device use granted by campus administrators for students with Individualized Learning Plans or Section 504 accommodations, district-issued devices will still be provided to students who need them for translation or learning support, said Jaretha Jordan, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, at the Aug. 4 meeting.
Diving in deeper
Additionally, FBISD officials opted out of allowing University Interscholastic League, or UIL, eligibility for homeschool and private school students in response to Senate Bill 326, which requires districts to opt out by Sept. 1.
Martinez said the administration’s recommendations to opt out of homeschool eligibility in extracurriculars were informed by the athletic and fine arts department leadership, citing concerns of administrative burden and competition for district-enrolled students.
“The time and effort required of staff to verify residency of those students and to verify the curriculum and the grading ... provides another layer of requirement for our staff members,” he said.
Next steps
Both policies are effective for the 2025-26 school year, per district website. Martinez said the board will need to vote annually if they would like to opt out on homeschool UIL eligibility.
In the coming weeks, Martinez said campuses will reinforce expectations around device use and ensure students understand the consequences for noncompliance.
