On Aug. 7, the SCUCISD board of trustees amended the district's student code of conduct policy on personal communication devices and electronic devices. The board approval falls in line with House Bill 1481, which requires all Texas school districts to prohibit device use by students.
Current situation
According to the updated policy provided to Community Impact by SCUCISD communications staff, students shall store away personal communication devices during the school day, and any student violating the policy shall be subject to disciplinary action.
The policy states that an authorized district employee "shall confiscate a student's personal communication device" in violation of the policy.
There are three exceptions to the policy, those being:
- Device use is necessary for the implementation of a student's individualized education program, 504 Plan or similar program
- Student's use is required due to a documented need based on a directive from a qualified physician
- The device use is necessary to comply with a health or safety requirement imposed by law or as part of SCUCISD or campus safety protocols
Superintendent Paige Meloni told Community Impact that the district had parent meetings at both Byron P. Steele II High School and Samuel Clemens High School to discuss the situation. She said she believes parents understand "the why" behind the policy—which is keeping students focused on instruction and not on a cell phone.
Meloni said that as a parent, she also understands why parents still want their children to have phones around.
"I don't think that we can say that the kids don't need the phone on their person or in their backpack, because parents want that comfort of knowing that they could get a hold of their child in an emergency situation ... [the policy is] a heavy lift for our administrators right now, but I think they're handling it with grace," Meloni said.
Sarah Dauphinais, the district's executive director of elementary education, said the district hopes students will come on board with the new policy, and that the policy is "closely in line" with some current campus practices. She said that three secondary campuses had a no cell phone policy in place during the day during the 2024-25 school year.
