Dorchester School District Two to update its electronic device policy

DORCHESTER COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – Dorchester Secondary School District’s policy committee will meet Monday evening to discuss updating its current policy regarding the use of personal electronic devices on school campuses.

This year, the state responded harshly to the use of personal electronic devices in South Carolina public schools. Last month, the South Carolina Board of Education approved the South Carolina Department of Education’s model policy prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices during the school day.

Prohibits students from accessing devices, including cell phones, smart watches, tablets, gaming devices, and device accessories, such as wired or wireless accessories that can be connected to a device, unless the use is approved by the district superintendent.

Exceptions will be allowed for students with IEPs and medical plans if the device is needed for medical or educational purposes, and for students who serve as volunteer firefighters or other emergency response organizations, with the approval of the district superintendent.

The model policy states that students will be required to store their devices in a locker, backpack or other location determined by the district.

All school districts were required to implement the policy this fall if they did not already have it, and full statewide implementation will begin in January 2025.

Dorchester Secondary School District adopted its policy before the state approved the model policy in July. This policy allowed students to have personal electronic devices as long as they were not visible, used or activated and were not used throughout the school day.

For high school students, permitted times of use include school-sponsored transportation, before the morning bell at the beginning of the school day, after the bell at the end of the school day, during Individual Study Hours, and at other times permitted by the principal.

Now the district must update its policies, which will prohibit the use of personal electronic devices in a bell-to-bell sense from the beginning of the school day to the end, to comply with state regulations.

Kellie Bates, a Dorchester School District Two board member, said she came to the conclusion that she would need to update her policies. However, they wanted to implement this policy at the beginning of the school year to familiarize students with the fact that they cannot use devices at school, allowing for a smoother transition.

“As a school district, we had already toyed with this because we saw the benefits of getting rid of cell phones in schools,” Bates said. “That’s why we implemented it at the beginning of the school year because we didn’t want to be halfway through the school year and try to implement a completely new policy that these kids weren’t used to, which is they’re on their phones and then halfway through the school year they’re behaving the way they do now that you can’t.

Bates said that currently, when students are in class, the devices are kept in pockets behind the teacher’s desk and they can use them during the allowed hours under their policy.

At today’s meeting, Bates said they will discuss logistics regarding whether they want to continue using the devices that go in pockets behind teachers’ desks, or if they want to change them to backpacks, etc. She said they will also have to decide where students will be they had to store the devices during the hours they can currently use them.

Bates said multiple district superintendents and Superintendent Dr. Shane Robbins will be in the meeting to decide how they want to enforce it.

She said after today’s committee meeting, the updated policy will have to go through two readings with the board of trustees and will go into effect after the school district’s holiday break.

“We also wanted to make sure that the transition from full cell phone usage to zero wouldn’t be a surprise to us,” Bates said. “We had an idea that the Department of State was considering something along the lines of a complete bell-to-bell ban, but we weren’t sure, so just to be safe, we made sure we included it and let them use it during lunch and time passes, but now we know and at least the transition “It won’t be as hard for the kids.”