AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Lake Travis Independent School District is cracking down on cellphones in the classroom this upcoming school year.
The new rule is that elementary and middle school students can still have their cellphones on them, but they must be turned off and stored in their backpacks, according to the district.
While Superintendent Paul Norton said the response from parents has been largely positive, some are still concerned about safety.
“They would want to have access to their child, and obviously I completely understand that. But I’ve explained to the parents that if there were to be an emergency situation on campus, our district police department would immediately respond and be involved in that,” Norton told KXAN Tuesday.
In case of a family emergency, parents can call the school’s front office, who will get a note to the child, the district said.
On a first offense, teachers simply confiscate the phone until the end of the school day. However, if a student is caught with their phone out too many times, it could land them in detention, according to LTISD.
How another Central Texas school handles its cellphone policy
Back in 2022, Thorndale Independent School District in Milam County said it uses a program, called Yondr, that requires students to secure their phones in a personal pouch for the day. The students are responsible for bringing the pouch to and from school each day, according to the district.
If there is an emergency, the district said teachers can call out on classroom phones, and the pouches can be cut open, if needed.
Taylor Girtman and Nabil Ramadna contributed to this report