All-day student phone ban discussed at Mat-Su School Board meeting

PALMER, Alaska (KTUU) - A proposed policy to ban cell phone use for students attending Mat-Su Borough schools for the entirety of the day — including lunchtime — was introduced at the Mat-Su School Board meeting Wednesday.

If approved, the policy would go into effect at the start of the 2025-26 school year in August.

“The School Board believes that all students have the right to a public education in a positive environment free from disruptions that interfere with teaching and learning activities and programs,” the policy stated.

The ban includes any wireless telecommunication device, such as smart watches or tablets. However, there would be exceptions made for any health-related reasons if the student provides documented proof from a physician.

“There might be dual-income families where they don’t have time to go take time off work and bring their kid in to get that doctor’s note,” said board member Ted Swanson during the meeting Wednesday evening.

Presenter of the plan at the meeting, Reese Everett, an associate superintendent for instruction for the Mat-Su school district, said he is confident they can navigate instances of families not being able to afford a medical note or similar instances.

The proposed ban follows a one-year pilot plan introduced in September 2024 in four Mat-Su schools: Palmer High School, Palmer Junior Middle School, Teeland Middle School, and Su-Valley Jr./Sr. High School.

At the Wednesday meeting, Everett said that during the pilot program, there were 50% more Palmer students who had a 3.0 or higher GPA.

However, school board vice president, Andrew Shane, showed concerns about the legality surrounding searching students’ phones. But, overall, he is excited about the plan.

The policy states that “school officials may also retain the device during an investigation related to the suspected violation of Board policy or school conduct requirement. In the course of the investigation, school officials may search information contained on the device.”

The deputy superintendent, Katie Gardner, responded to Shane’s concerns, stating that there have been legal conversations made on ways to best address searching students’ phones, especially in the case of safety concerns.

Another question posed by a board member asked if students could receive their phones at the end of the day to arrange transportation home. Everett ensured that 15 minutes before the end of school, phones would be handed back to students for that purpose.

The school board is expected to vote on the proposal on May 21.

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