Royal School District updating phone policy

ROYAL CITY — An updated cell phone use policy will be reviewed and possibly approved by the Royal School Board at its November meeting.  

Royal School District Superintendent Roger Trail said the updated policy will place restrictions on cell phone use. 

“Essentially it’s focused on creating a learning environment that limits electronic device usage and sets clear guidelines for appropriate use,” Trail said. “And that will pretty much result in Red Rock Elementary, (Royal Intermediate School and Royal Middle School) not allowing phones at any time at all during the day. At (Royal High School) they will no longer be allowed in the classrooms, and (RHS) students can use them during passing periods, lunch and before and after school. That’s a general idea of what we’re crafting.” 

School districts around the Columbia Basin have been reviewing phone use policies, and Trail said state education officials have suggested a review to district statewide. The last time RSD phone policies were updated was 2011, he said.  

The Ephrata School District began using cell phone lockers to discourage cell phone use at the beginning of the year. While students have complained to an extent about it, administrators have said teachers and staff have noticed an improvement in the learning environment. 

The policy will be considered by the school board at its November meeting. If it’s passed, it would go into effect before winter break, Trail said.  

Royal district officials also are working on an artificial intelligence policy, Trail said, something that’s a long-term project. An eight-member committee that includes teachers, principals, the RSD tech director and Trail will be considering how and when AI should and shouldn’t be used in classrooms, and how to address ethical dilemmas that come with the technology. 

“We did send out a survey to our teachers to kind of see where their comfort levels are with AI, and wanted to gain some insight from them to help figure out our next steps,” he said. 

District officials are working through a list of questions raised by AI, Trail said, including the need to protect students and staff, letting students know when its use is and isn’t appropriate and how to help teachers learn to use it. 

“This whole thing with AI technology is only a couple of years old,” Trail said. “We’re still at the very front of it, and every time I turn around there’s something new and different.” 

Artificial intelligence has a lot of potential, good and bad, in the classroom, he said. 

“Certainly, there are lot of potential advantages to using AI, especially to help students to differentiate instruction, help people become more efficient. So it’s important to tap into that but do it in a way that’s safe for everybody involved,” Trail said. 

The district’s discussion and research have been going on since the end of the 2023-24 school year and will continue over the winter, he said.  

“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,” Trail said. “We sometimes talk about going slow to go fast – this might be one of those cases.”  

Part of the process will be training teachers.

“We have some professional development times chosen throughout the year to address different aspects of AI and help them benefit teachers and students, but we want to make sure everybody is playing fair,” Trail said.