TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District Board of Trustees approved new policies last night that will ban cell phones from classes across the district.
The Tarrant County school district is one of several to restrict the use of phones, but the policies to enforce that restriction vary.
In Grapevine-Colleyville, the change will go into effect this upcoming school year and will impact elementary, middle school and high school students differently. Elementary-age students can't use phones at all during the school day. Middle schoolers will be able to use their phones at lunch and high schoolers will be allowed to use them in between classes and during lunch.
Phones will also be allowed on campus before and after school.
In other school districts, cell phone bans are enforced differently. Last week, Keller ISD approved a policy requiring phones to be switched off and put in a bag for the entire school day. Richardson ISD also requires some students to lock away their phones in a pouch throughout the day, the district plans to expand that rule to all high schools this year.
Last year, Mansfield ISD approved a policy that required students of all ages to keep their phones put away all day. Violators have to pay $15 to get their phone back if they are caught using it.
Fort Worth and Arlington ISD allows students to use their cell phones during school for instructional purposes. Dallas ISD allows students to have their phones on campus but requires that students turn them off during the day.
At a public meeting, Grapevine-Colleyville trustees acknowledged that enforcement would be difficult for teachers and asked parents to help.
"I think (teachers) understanding that they have our full support to do that in order to improve the learning outcomes will be critical," Trustee Dalia Begin said at the meeting.
If middle and high school students get caught using a phone during unauthorized times, it will be confiscated and returned to them at the end of the day, the new policy states. Punishments escalate to a $15 fine.