“I urge you, please stand your ground, keep the control local, and show that NEISD won’t be bullied into policies that don’t serve our students,” said one parent.
SAN ANTONIO — The North East Independent School District school board held a discussion Monday night regarding its current student cell phone policy, following a warning from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that the district may be in violation of a new state law.
Outside the meeting, NEISD parent Christina Herr held a sign in support of the district’s policy and said she believes students should have limited access to their phones while on campus.
“People are worried about what happens on campus. Yeah, it’d be nice for my kid to have access to their phone for safety reasons,” Herr said.
Her sentiment echoed inside the boardroom as multiple parents voiced support for the policy and urged board members to resist pressure from the TEA.
“I urge you, please stand your ground, keep the control local, and show that NEISD won’t be bullied into policies that don’t serve our students,” one parent said during public comment.
A new state law that went into effect in June requires all Texas school districts to implement a policy banning the use of personal communication devices, including cell phones, by students on school property during the school day. However, lawmakers did not define “school property” or “school day,” allowing districts to interpret the terms individually.
In September, NEISD adopted a policy that allows students to use their phones before and after school, during lunch, and in passing periods.
But on Sept. 24, the TEA sent the district a letter alleging a notice of violation to the cell phone ban law.
“Their contention is that we don’t have the discretion to define the terms in this statute and that it is meant to be a bell-to-bell cell phone ban,” said an NEISD attorney during the meeting.
The district responded in an Oct. 1 letter, arguing it had complied with both the law and TEA guidance. The district also invited agency representatives to attend Monday’s meeting, but they did not respond or appear.
Superintendent Dr. Sean Maika said the district had previously discussed its approach with lawmakers, none of whom expressed concern at the time.
“It’s unfortunate that while those lawmakers who seemed to agree with us had a change of heart, I guess,” Maika said. “But that’s really where it is. We’re just kind of in a holding pattern waiting to hear back from the agency. At which time, once we hear I’m going to let you guys know, we’re going to let the community know, and you all as the ladies and gentleman on the board are going to make a decision.”
No action was taken during Monday night’s meeting. As of now, the district has not received a response from the TEA and there is no deadline for the agency to reply.