See updates from the district’s Aug 11. workshop meeting and Aug. 12 regular meeting below. This story is not comprehensive.
Breaking it down
TISD approved its cellphone policy for the 2025-26 school year, under the requirement of HB 1481. The district adopted an “away for the day” policy, which prohibits students from using personal communication devices such as cellphones and smartwatches on school property during the school day. The district defined the school day as the time from the first bell of the day to the last bell.
District officials said students are allowed to store the device in a backpack, locker or another secure area.
A student can be exempt from the policy if using their device is determined necessary by the student’s medical provider or if the student is part of a 504 plan, which is outlined in HB 1481.
“While I am a proponent of this, I am concerned about the burden that this places on our teachers and staff. I really want to underscore that I'm looking for parental involvement there as well,” board President Michael Pratt said at the workshop meeting.
Also on the agenda
Updates to policies surrounding library books and library materials at the district to align with Senate Bill 13 include requirements such as:
- The proposed or recommended library material list must be presented to the board of trustees for approval or rejection.
- Library collections are required to exclude content that is “indecent” or “profane."
- Parents can submit a list of library materials their child may not check out from the library.
- Parents are entitled to a detailed record or list of books their child has checked out.
- Establish detailed procedures for any challenges to library material.
TISD Director of Transportation Sandy Dillman gave a presentation on the current state of transportation at the workshop meeting, stating the district has 142 drivers and 206 buses. The transportation director said there were 12 open positions in the department; however, Dillman said all of TISD’s bus routes are currently staffed.
“Staffing continues to be a widespread concern throughout the nation for bus drivers,” Dillman said.
Additions to the transportation department include:
- Wayfinder, a turn-by-turn navigation and route management tool for bus drivers
- Viewfinder, a staff-facing management tool that allows staff to see bus information for each campus
- Stopfinder, a parent-facing management app where parents can view their child's bus stop as well as pick up and drop off times
- Approval to use $3.91 million of 2025 bond funds to purchase 24 school buses for regular and special education students
TISD officials also gave an update on the timeline for its new program for students who are aspiring educators.
The P-TECH program called Tomball Academy of Future Educators will focus on preparing TISD students for careers in education and teaching. The program will be housed at Tomball High School.
TISD provided the following timeline:
- Program approved in spring 2025
- Eighth-grade districtwide recruitment, program application and a lottery will occur this fall
- Student selection will be in spring 2026
- The first cohort will begin in fall 2026 with 50 students districtwide
