JFCK-R - Rules for Student use of Personal Electronic Devices

Book: J

Section: Students

Title: Rules for Student use of Personal Electronic Devices

Code: JFCK-R

Status: Active

Last Revised: August 23, 2025

 

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1. Device Storage

At the elementary school level, students are strongly encouraged to leave their devices at home, as there will be no dedicated device storage in the school. Should a student bring a device to school, it must be kept off and inaccessible in the student’s bag in their cubby throughout the school day. 

 

The Superintendent or designee will collaborate with middle and high school administrators to develop detailed procedures for storing cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day. Each school will document its procedures and share them with its school community. This storage process may be done centrally (e.g., at the school’s entrance or entrances) or by grade level, house, crew/advisory/homeroom, depending on what is most feasible at each school. The process must also meet these requirements: 

1. The process must be as simple, efficient, and consistent as possible; avoid cutting into instructional time; and minimize the burden placed on individual educators and administrators.
2. Storage systems may include locked pouches, lockers, cell phone “hotels,” file boxes, and/or other similar systems. 
3. The primary storage method should be consistent across all schools in a grade band (i.e., middle or high). However, each school will have flexibility to determine how best to manage the process internally, including where it takes place and who is responsible for managing and supporting it.   
4. Schools that use pouches must also adopt a system for collecting phones and storing them safely in the front office for students who forget to bring their pouches to school.  
5. Each school must have a procedure for storing/locking devices belonging to students who arrive at school late and for returning/unlocking devices if students who leave school before the end of the school day. At the high school level, this includes having a system for students that leave the building for lunch or off-campus programs.  
6. All devices must be put on airplane mode or turned off prior to being stored, no matter what storage system is being used.  

2. Exceptions

Exceptions to the device-free schools policy will be very limited and rare, only to be made when other viable options for addressing a need or concern are not available. Exceptions will generally be limited to documented health-related needs (e.g., a student whose insulin pump or other health device is controlled by their cell phone) or specific learning-related needs, as defined by an IEP or 504 plan (e.g., a student who requires a specialized personal tablet to support communications that cannot be provided by the school). The school principal/lead teacher must be immediately notified by the school’s special education coordinator if an exception is requested through the IEP or 504 process. The principal/lead teacher or their designee will then work with the IEP team and other school staff to determine a plan for implementing the specific requirements of the IEP or 504. They will also notify their Assistant Superintendent and the Senior Director of Special Education and Student Support via email of this exception for tracking and support purposes. 

 

Any other requests for exceptions must be made directly to the school principal/lead teacher via email. The principal/lead teacher will discuss the details of and reason for the request with the family and determine if it warrants further consideration. If the principal/lead teacher recommends that an exception be made due to rare circumstances that cannot be addressed in another way, they will send their recommendation to the Superintendent or their designee, who will review and approve or deny the request. 

3. Access to Devices During Extracurricular Programming

Coaches, club advisors, and other leaders of out-of-school-time programming may give students permission to access personal electronic devices during activities they supervise. Portland Public Schools will not be responsible for the loss of or damage to personal electronic devices during extracurricular activities. 

4. Safe and Appropriate Use

When students do make authorized use of personal electronic devices on school grounds and/or during school-sponsored activities, they must adhere to fundamental rules that protect the safety and privacy of the school community. Any violation of the following rules will be subject to the district’s discipline policy (JK) and positive behavior response procedures. 

1. Electronic devices may not be used in any manner that disrupts the educational process, is illegal, or violates Board policies and/or school rules. 
2. Accessing, viewing, posting, forwarding, downloading, or displaying any materials that are defamatory, abusive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, sexually suggestive, threatening, discriminatory, harassing, and/or illegal is prohibited. 
3. The use of cameras in any type of electronic device is strictly prohibited in locker rooms and restrooms. Students are required to obtain permission before taking a photograph or video of any individual. Students must also obtain permission from any individual appearing in a photograph or video prior to posting on any social networking site or Internet site such as YouTube.

5. Consequences for Violations of Device-Free Schools Rules

Students who are found with an unauthorized personal electronic device during the school day, refuse to give up a personal electronic device when asked by an administrator, and/or otherwise violate the policy or rules related to possession of electronic devices will be subject to the district’s positive behavior response procedures. They will also receive accompanying support, tailored to the student’s individual needs. 

6. Recognition of Adherence to Device-Free Schools Rules 

With support from central teams, each school will develop a plan for reinforcing positive students’ positive behavior in meeting the expectations contained in this policy and rules. This plan should be aligned to the school’s approach to Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and/or other related classroom and schoolwide practices. 

7.  Technology to Support Educational Needs

Portland Public Schools recognizes that technology plays an important part in teaching and learning in a variety of ways. School leaders will be responsible for working with educators to identify and plan for technology needs, with support from relevant district offices. Additional technology may need to be purchased to enable ongoing student learning where students’ personal devices had previously been used. For example, this might include cameras for photography or art classes, tablets for students requiring specialized interpretation, translation, or other communications support, or scientific calculators. District offices will also work with school leaders and educators to identify and make accessible via PPS’ devices and network websites any apps that are important for students’ learning. 

8.  Alternative Communications Mechanisms

Every school will establish a process through which students can make calls out to guardians, employers, medical/mental health providers, coaches, or other important contacts, when necessary. At the elementary level, it is expected that this process will typically run through the front office. At the middle and high school levels, schools should make available one or more phones for regular student use either in the front office and/or in another easily accessible location. There must also be a location where a student can engage in a private conversation, should they need to discuss mental health, legal, or other personal issues of a sensitive nature. 

 

Guardians should minimize communication with students during the school day. If guardians need to communicate with their student during their school day due to an emergency, they should call the school’s front office and request assistance in connecting with their child. Guardians who need to pass messages to their child that are important, time-sensitive, and cannot wait until the end of the school day will be provided instructions by their school on how to get a message to their student. With support from relevant central offices, each school will establish a system for collecting, monitoring, and communicating non-emergency messages using some combination of phone, email, and/or ReachMyTeach. The system at each school must include ways for families to communicate in their home languages and ensure accessibility for people with hearing, speech, and/or visual disabilities. This may be ReachMyTeach, if that meets the needs of the school community. However, it may also include a system for receiving parent calls via staff and/or a multilingual answering service.  

 

In the event of an emergency at a school, Portland Public Schools will send a communication to families of students at the affected school as soon as possible to alert them to the situation and then will provide subsequent updates as soon as possible. These communications will be sent via ReachMyTeach and, should it become necessary, will include information on if and when students will be released from school and where parents/guardians should pick up their children, if needed. It is critical that families not flood school, district, or staff phones in the event of an emergency. The first priority of district and school staff in the event of a reported emergency is to immediately move to keep students, staff, and other community members safe. Overwhelming schools or district offices with calls may interfere with emergency response efforts and put people at greater risk. Families should expect the initial message to be brief, with more detail to follow as information becomes available and can safely be communicated. Further information on PPS’ emergency response plan can be found on our website. 

In addition to accounting for family communications, schools will also identify appropriate communications options for coaches, club leaders, advisors, or other school personnel to share important information with students regarding changes in schedules or other time-sensitive issues. 

9. Responsible Use of Equipment

Students that are assigned lockable pouches or lockers to support cell phone storage are expected to treat that equipment with care. A student that loses or damages such equipment intentionally or through neglectful behavior will be charged for replacement or repair. 

10. Associated Costs and Budget

Portland Public Schools will fund necessary equipment, training, and technical support to support the launch of the device-free-schools policy in the first year of implementation. This includes the cost of pouches, cell phone lockers or hotels, and other related equipment. The district will also support schools in identifying funds to meet technology needs that may arise as students’ personal devices become inaccessible in classrooms. In subsequent years, schools will incorporate costs related to implementation of the policy into their budgets for review and approval, as is done with other on-going operating costs. 

11. Communications on Policy JFCK, Rules, and Procedures

Upon approval of Policy JFCK, PPS launched communications to all students, staff, and families with information about the policy and rules. Each school will also be responsible for communicating the district’s rules and school-based procedures to all students, families, and staff in their communities during August of each school year, at family nights and other back-to-school events, and regularly throughout the year. These communications will include information on how a family may contact their student’s school (e.g., via phone or ReachMyTeach) in the event of an emergency and how the school will support a student to contact the family in the event of an emergency. Staff communications will include training on the consistent application of the rules and how to obtain support from administrators, when needed. 

12. Education on Digital Citizenship

The district and all schools will provide ongoing opportunities for students, staff, and  families to learn about positive and safe uses of technology. These educational opportunities will also address the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional risks associated with the use of cell phones and other electronic devices by young people, as well as the ways in which they can be disruptive to learning and healthy development. 

13. Adult Modeling of Positive Behavior

School personnel are expected to support students in adhering to this ban by minimizing their own use of personal electronic devices during the school day. This includes avoiding using personal devices while in class or supervising students (e.g., at lunch, on recess, during transition times, at arrival and dismissal, etc.). 

14. Monitoring and Updates

With support from the district’s data and culture specialists, schools will track and monitor incidents related to the device-free policy and rules. The district will work with schools to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned in the implementation of these rules on a semi-annual basis and will adapt the rules and procedures, as needed. This review will include an examination of student outcome data, as well as specific behavior-related data. A review and revision may be conducted outside of this regular cycle if significant concerns arise about implementation challenges.