Oelke said that she had previously worked at a school with a zero-tolerance cell phone policy. “It was absolutely one of the best teaching years that I have had in over a decade,” Oelke said.

Arti Jain, West NewsMagazine

Senate Bill 68, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe and set to go into effect Aug. 28, 2025, mandates that school districts and charter schools create a policy for electronic communication devices, prohibiting their use during school hours. This includes instructional time, meal time and breaks, and conflicts with several pre-existent policies of local school districts.

The Rockwood School District, which similarly had its previous policy invalidated by SB 68, also introduced restrictions that comply with the bill. During the Rockwood Board of Education’s July 17 meeting, the board voted to approve a new student electronic personal communications devices policy.

Rockwood’s policy requires students to “keep all devices powered off and stored in backpacks or designated areas determined by the district.” Should a student not comply with this standard, the device “may be subject to confiscation and the student to disciplinary action.”

Board member Sarah Oelke asked for smart watches and glasses to be included within the wording of the policy during the meeting. Oelke said that she had previously worked at a school with a zero-tolerance cell phone policy. “It was absolutely one of the best teaching years that I have had in over a decade,” Oelke said.

Read the full article here.

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