ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Some Roseville schools will be cell phone-free zones staring in the fall.
The Roseville City School District Board of Education approved a new mobile communication devices policy at a May 9 meeting.
The policy used to read: "Students may use cell phones, smart watches, pagers, or other mobile communication devices on campus during noninstructional time as long as the device is utilized in accordance with law and any rules that individual school sites may impose."
Now, it reads: "Students in TK-8 may not use cell phones, smartphones, smartwatches, or other mobile communication devices once they have entered campus for the instructional day.... Students in grades 6-8 may resume the use of their mobile communication devices after the last period of the day, and during after-school extracurricular and sporting activities."
According to Jessica Hull, the school district's Executive Director of Communication and Community Engagement, all students will be told their phones must be off when they enter school and remain off until the end of the day.
Besides cell phones, students also can't use personal tablets, Bluetooth headphones and smartwatches. Smartwatches can be worn if students have texts, phone calls and other notifications turned off during the school day.
If students need to contact family during the day, they can make a call from the office. Family can call the front office if they need to tell something to their student.
According to the school district, if a student needs to use their phone during the day to monitor or manage a diagnosed medical condition, a licensed physician or surgeon must make that determination. In the event of a school emergency, using cell phones won't be a violation of policy.
In its May 9 presentation, the district said it would be sending out a message from the district to all families. During the first week of school, campuses will review expectations and there will be posters around campuses.
Thursday, August 8 is the first day of school for the Roseville City School District. Find the full 2024-2025 calendar HERE.
What happens if a student violates the policy?
- First Violation: Student will be given a warning (Documented in PowerSchool/SWIS/Site Doc).
- Second Violation: Student will be assigned a school consequence and administration will notify a parent of the violation.
- Third Violation: Student will be assigned a detention. Students will attend a parent meeting with an administrator and may be required to check-in their phone to the front office daily.
- Fourth Violation: Student will check cell phone in at the office in a locked location at the beginning of the day and pick it up at the end of the day (SWIS major/admin contact home).
Read the full policy HERE.
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