Katy ISD’s board of trustees met on July 21 for a work study meeting to review policy changes necessitated by recent legislative action, including an update to the cell phone policy and personal communication device policy enacted by KISD last year.

KISD Director of Student Affairs Sherri Ashorn said that recent actions by the state legislature will require the district to update some local policies in order to comply with new state guidelines, including criteria for top ten graduates and transferability for security or peace officers, as well as a more restrictive cell phone policy and whether the district will allow students who are in private schools or home-schooled to participate in KISD extracurricular activities.

Ashorn said that under new state guidelines, students cannot use a cell phone, smart watch or other personal electronic device at any time while at school. She said that the district would require devices to be stored in backpacks and that smart watches may not be worn. Exceptions may be made for students with 504 status or medical needs, Ashorn said. In response to a question from trustee Rebecca Fox, Ashorn said that the district was updating its graphic on the new cell phone policy and that it would be sent out by the communications team, adding that the topic had been covered in recent administrative meetings with campus principals and assistant principals who will be able to communicate the updated policy through newsletters and “meet the teacher” nights. Infractions will be handled at the campus level, using each campus’ discipline matrix, which takes the age and maturity of the student into account, she said. Ashorn said that state law specifies that a device may be confiscated and then disposed of after 90 days.

Under new state guidelines, each school district must “opt out” of allowing students who are home-schooled or who attend private schools to participate in KISD extracurricular activities. Previously, Ashorn said, districts had to “opt in” to allow such participation. Superintendent Ken Gregorski said that KISD will opt out of such participation, based on overwhelming feedback from coaches, band directors and cheer sponsors who said that it is difficult to get buy-in and to build programs with students who are not on campus every day. Trustees Morgan Calhoun, Mary Ellen Cuzela and Amy Thieme opposed the opt-out decision, saying that all parents pay school taxes whether or not their children are enrolled in KISD, and that they should be allowed to have their children participate in extra-curricular activities.

The board also heard from Ashorn on updates to the discipline management plan. In addition to the cell phone policy restrictions imposed by HB 1481, two other bills will impact KISD’s discipline management plan. Senate Bill 326 adds a definition of anti-Semitism and provides for additional training for administrators while HB 6 deals with teacher removal and out-of-school suspension of students, disciplinary alternative education changes and expanded jurisdiction for expulsion. “Cheating” has been rebranded as “academic dishonesty” and provides guidelines for appropriate use of artificial intelligence, she said. The Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) has been expanded to include younger

elementary students, Ashorn said, who will serve their consequence at a different school facility outside of their home campus. Previously, DAEP was used with fourth and fifth grade students.