FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth Independent School District has a new cellphone policy with a range of consequences for students who violate it.
Here are the changes parents and students need to know about.
Fort Worth ISD Cellphone Policy 
What we know:
On Tuesday night, Fort Worth ISD’s school board approved a new policy banning student cellphones during the instructional day.
That means no phones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds, Bluetooth headphones, tablets, gaming devices, or any other device used for texting, calling, social media, or streaming in the classrooms, during passing periods, or at lunchtime.
They will only be permitted on campus before and after school.
Fort Worth ISD’s policy allows students to keep their devices. They just need to be turned off or silenced and put away.
Those who are caught using their devices during the day face consequences ranging from a verbal warning for the first offense to the device being confiscated, an in-school suspension, and further disciplinary action for the second and third offenses.
There are only a few exceptions for students with documented medical or learning needs.
For more details on the policy, visit https://www.fwisd.org/community/pcdpolicy.
What they’re saying:
The district said it understands there is still a need for student cellphones.
“It’s important they still have access before and after school, and if they are staying for after-school programming, or if they walk home. There’s still a need for them to have the have the devices in their backpack or in their pockets,” said Fort Worth ISD spokeswoman Erin Gregg.
Superintendent Dr. Karen Molinar hopes parents will help enforce the new policy during school hours.
“We’re asking our parents to help us engage with the importance of this new state law. This is not a district policy. This is a state law that we’re implementing through a district policy,” she said. “We do not want our teachers to be spending time monitoring cellphones.”
Dig deeper:
Fort Worth ISD’s new policy comes in response to House Bill 1481, which was recently signed into law. It requires all public school districts in the state to come up with a policy to prohibit cellphones, tablets, and other personal communication devices from use on campus.
Other North Texas school districts have taken varied approaches to enforcing the law.
Some school districts like Richardson ISD and Irving ISD have policies that require students to secure their phones in pouches, which can be unlocked at the end of the school day.
Other districts like Keller, and Grapevine-Colleyville will let students keep their phones as long as they’re not being used.
Dallas ISD has not yet announced how it will enforce the law.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Fort Worth Independent School District, statements from the district’s superintendent and spokeswoman, and past news coverage.
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