BY CASSANDRA JENKINS & EMILY LINCKE
Conroe ISD to implement new cellphone policy Conroe ISD will begin to implement a new cellphone policy for pre-K to sixth grade to restrict usage on campus. The setup CISD started a School Cell Phone Committee in August to begin evaluating its cellphone guidelines. During an Oct. 17 board meeting, trustees approved the committee’s first round of rec- ommendations for students in prekindergarten through sixth grade. How we got here The School Cell Phone Committee held meetings Sept. 7 and 18. Deputy Superintendent Bethany Medford said the 53 voting members consisted of parents, teachers, administration, counselors and students from all CISD feeder zones.
Montgomery ISD to pay $3.1M to state Montgomery ISD has been ordered to pay $3.1 million for fiscal year 2022-23 under the state’s excess local revenue—or recapture— law, district leaders announced Oct. 17. What’s happening? Under the Texas Education Code, school districts can be required to “share their local tax revenue” with others in the state, accord- ing to the Texas Education Agency’s website. MISD has paid about $9.6 million to the state under this law since 2013, according to an Oct. 17 presentation from Justin Marino, MISD’s
New guidelines
Permitted • Cellphones and smartwatches can only be used before and after school. Not permitted • Devices cannot be used to capture video, audio or images at school or on the bus. • All cellphones and smartwatches must be kept on silent mode in designated storage areas. • Cellphones and smartwatches should not be visible during designated school hours. • The use of cellphones and smartwatches will only be permitted in extenuating circumstances.
SOURCE: CONROE ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
The committee sent out three surveys during the study. In the final survey to community members, all 37 respondents approved of the draft pre-K-6 cellphone guidelines that were presented. Medford said the implementation of the new policy will begin this fall. “We have no concerns about enforcing [the policy] for [pre-K]-6,” she said.
chief of staff and communications. A school district is required to pay
recaptured funds when they are considered “property wealthy” by the state, Marino said. “Three million dollars is ... nearly a 4% raise for our employees,” Marino said.
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