What you need to know
In the letter, Superintendent Sean Maika said the district had received two letters—one from State Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, and another from the TEA—regarding the district’s decision to ban electronic devices during class time, while allowing students to access their devices between periods and lunch.
According to the letter, the TEA suggested the board of trustees revise its policy and implement a complete ban on electronic devices for the entire school day, or “from the first bell in the morning to the last bell in the afternoon.”
Maika responded that this request directly conflicts with the TEA’s new cellphone policy and House Bill 1481, which leaves the definition of the school day up to the individual districts.
“It is important for each school system to define the terms ‘school property’ and ‘school day’ recognizing that HB 1481 gave no such definition,” Maika said in the letter.
Maika noted that the board of trustees’ definition of the school day was within their authority.
“Since the legislature did not define school day and the TEA urged school districts to define their own 'school day,' our board of trustees exercised their authority to define 'school day' as being limited to 'instructional time,'” Maika said in the letter.
Maika also argued that the district’s policy was carefully crafted with parents’ and guardians’ input, allowing parents to be able to contact their children in case of a campus emergency.
“It has been made clear that leadership in the state does not believe the board has complied with the 'legislative intent' and wants us to disregard our work partnering with parents and guardians to best serve the needs of students in our community,” Maika said in the letter.
What’s next
The board will discuss its cellphone policy and whether to alter it during its regular meeting Oct. 6 at the Richard A. Middleton Education Center, located at 8961 Tesoro Drive in San Antonio.
