Differing opinions push back decision on cellphones in Pocatello/Chubbuck schools

POCATELLO (Idaho Ed News) — The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District Board of Trustees discussed revising a cellphone policy at a Tuesday meeting, but pushed making a decision to a later date.

The decision was deferred, in part, because the five trustees have different opinions.

During Tuesday’s meeting, trustees explained their stances on two possible policies — Option 1 and Option 2. The first option would be more restrictive, preventing students at elementary, middle and high school from accessing their phones during school hours. The second option would allow them to access their phones during free and passing time.

Trustees Megan Furniss, Heather Clarke and Jim Facer favored Option 1. Trustee Raymond Knoff and Board Chair Deanna Judy favored Option 2, expressing desires for high school students to be able to practice their autonomy.

Clarke said she supported a “bell-to-bell” ban on devices for elementary and middle schools. At high schools, she suggested allowing students to use devices during lunch, but not passing periods.

“Resoundingly, I feel like this is what our community is asking for,” said Clarke. 

Knoff stressed that he wants simplicity and uniformity across schools with a new policy, but chose Option 2 because he believes high school students should have the ability to use their devices in passing periods and lunch. He disagreed on allowing students to use their devices during free time in middle school.

“I have taught middle school, and (these schools) are doing a great job, it’s a difficult job,” said Knoff.

Board Chair Judy was primarily concerned with student safety on their trips to and from school. She spoke of parents who use smartwatches to track their child’s location while walking to and from school.

“They want to be able to see where their child is – I would never even think of interfering with that,” said Judy, proclaiming her support for allowing smartwatches at all grade levels so long as they are kept in school mode.

Furniss and Facer said they wanted to do away with the semesterly reset on student violations, instead allowing students to accrue violations over the course of the whole academic year, but Judy wished to scrap the three-step violation process entirely, referring to the West Ada School District. West Ada’s policy provides an open-ended guideline for enforcement rather than specific punishments based on the number of violations.

“I like the way West Ada’s (policy) is worded, it’s not ‘one warning, two warnings,’ I just do not know, as a teacher, how I would keep track of that,” Judy said. 

Judy also expressed concern about student safety if students have their phones confiscated and must go home without their phone.

“I don’t think (the policy) necessarily needs to include locking (the student’s phone) in the office,” said Judy.

The Pocatello/Chubbuck district board will consider the policy in a third reading at its June 17 regular meeting.

In other board news

During the public comment period on Tuesday,  patrons urged trustees to refrain from converting the six-lane athletic track at Franklin Middle School into a three-lane walking path. 

Nate Houle, former head coach of Idaho State University’s Track and Field team, spoke to the board. He cited the success of the Pocatello district’s student athletes at the collegiate level, saying he recruited four of the 11 men on ISU’s cross country team from Pocatello last fall.

“Why is it that we feel it is okay to not provide a facility for (track and field athletes)?” Houle asked the board. He compared the project to scrapping the basketball court for a wedding reception facility.

“Sounds ridiculous, but that’s essentially what’s going on with the track,” said Houle.   

After hearing the public comments, trustees did not take action.

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on May 22, 2025