School districts prepare for new state law banning wireless devices in class

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new law requires Indiana school districts to adopt policies that ban students from using their wireless devices during class time.

Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the law in March, which specifically prohibits students from using cellphones, tablets, laptops or gaming devices during instructional time. The law takes effect on July 1.

There are a few exceptions, such as if a teacher authorizes students to use their devices for educational purposes, if a student needs health care or if there is an emergency.

Each of the county’s three school districts are at different stages of approving policies that comply with the new law.

West Lafayette Community School Corp.

The West Lafayette school board approved its ban on wireless devices policy at its April and May meetings after a heated debate before the vote earlier this month.

The policy itself echoes the Indiana law but with more defined language than the bill.

The board voted on May 13 to pass the policy 5 to 1.

Board member Dacia Mumford wanted to get community input on this policy before the school board voted, but Amy Austin, president of the school board, emphasized the need to get this policy on the books and because it's a statewide law.

“We are a governing body, that is different from a representative body," Austin said about postponing the final vote until June to get public input. "We are not going to run our policies through opinion polls in order to set them because then nothing will ever get done.”

Lafayette School Corp.

The Lafayette school board approved its new policy at its June school board meeting.

Unlike the west side, the Lafayette schools decided to include additional language.

“We have added a sentence there that says, ‘Students who use wireless electronic devices in a manner which violates this rule may be disciplined,’” Lafayette Superintendent Les Huddle said at the LSC May meeting.

When it came to the notion of “discipline” regarding this new policy, Huddle noted it would give school administrators the ability to confiscate a student’s electronic device if they didn’t follow the school’s new code of conduct.

This policy does not allow the district to permanently confiscate a student’s personal device, Huddleston said. Instead, school administrators will be required to inform the child’s parent about the confiscation and require them to pick up the device from school administrators.

If the device is owned by the school district, such as a school-provided laptop, school administrators will be allowed to keep the device on school grounds after being confiscated.

Lafayette's school board approved its policy June 10.

Tippecanoe School Corp.

Unlike the other two school districts, the Tippecanoe school board has yet to present its proposed policy on wireless device policy, according to Coordinator of Communications Sue Scott.

Scott said in an email there’s already a section in the student handbook about policy that bars the use of cell phones during class time.

“Students may use cellphones during a student’s lunch period, before or after school," the student handbook states. "At all other times between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., these devices are to be turned off and placed out of sight when school is in session.

“Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary penalty and the item being confiscated and returned only to the parent or guardian.  Students who refuse to turn over their cellphone or other electronic device to a staff member when asked are insubordinate and failing to comply with a request from a staff member.

“If the student refuses to turn over the cellphone or other electronic device to an administrator the result is up to five days of out-of-school suspension. Cell phones are not the responsibility of the school. If stolen or lost, a student assumes the responsibility.”

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on X at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Tippecanoe schools craft new policies to ban wireless devices in class