It limits student use of cell phones and other personal electronic communication devices, designed to limit distractions and learning disruptions in class.
MANSFIELD, Texas — A North Texas school district has implemented a new cell phone policy for the upcoming school year, and violators of the policy will have devices confiscated and owe a $15 fine to get it back.
Mansfield ISD announced its new cell phone policy on the district website on July 31. The guideline says the district will limit student use of cell phones and other personal electronic communication devices in its schools, designed to limit distractions and learning disruptions in the classroom.
The policy is applied to all devices used to communicate electronically including, but not limited to, cell phones and smart watches.
“As a board, we believe the new guidelines will limit distractions and disruptions to the learning process, which can frequently be caused by cell phone usage,” said Mansfield ISD Board President Courtney Lackey Wilson. “We want to empower our employees by outlining clear consequences for infractions.”
According to the district, all students in grades K-6 will be required to keep their devices turned off and stored away during the school day except for before and after school. Students in grades 7-12 will be required to keep their devices turned off and stored away during class periods. Campus principals will also have the discretion to allow cell phone use during passing periods and lunch, the policy states.
If a student uses a cell phone without authorization during the school day, the device will be confiscated, and a parent, guardian, or student may pick up the confiscated device from the office for a fee of $15, the district said.
The district said in its release that campus administrators will state expectations at the beginning of the year, and administrators will monitor cell phone violations.
For more information about the policy and its list of consequences, click here.
Most North Texas school districts have cell phone policies that ban or limit phone usage during class hours, at the risk of students getting their phones confiscated, but few appear to have a fine system in order to get the phones back. The Dallas Independent School District does not have a fine policy outlined in its student handbook, though several schools have individual policies that include fines.
Hillcrest High School, for example, has a cell phone policy linked on its website with the following levels: A first-time violation results in a confiscated phone that parents can pick up with no fee; a second-time violation involves a $5 fee; a third-time violation is a $10 fee; and a fourth-time violation is a $15 fee.
More Texas headlines: