Highmore-Harrold School District, as part of a commitment to upholding academic integrity and providing a safe learning environment free from distraction, limits student use of cellular phones and personal devices such as but not limited to: AirPods, headsets, Smart watches, and other devices that connect to the internet.
Students may possess cellular phones and personal devices on school property, while in school-owned or school-operated vehicles and while students are attending or engaged in school-sponsored activities, subject to limitations of this and other policies and regulations of the district.
Pre-school – Grade 12 Guidelines
All Students:
Cell phones, accessories, and personal devices (including Smartwatches with texting, internet access, or calling capabilities) must be turned off and kept out of sight for the entire school day—beginning upon entry into the school building—unless otherwise specified in a student’s IEP, 504 Plan, or Health Care Action Plan.All Students:
Cell phones, accessories, and personal devices may be used on AM/PM buses and Activity buses as long use is conducted in accordance with district policy
Grades 7–12:
Devices must be turned off and placed in a school-provided, locked container. This container may be kept with the student, stored in a backpack or locker, or placed in a teacher-designated secure location in the classroom.Grade 6 and Below:
Devices must be turned off and stored in a teacher-designated secure location within the classroom.
Emergency Use:
If a student needs to make an emergency phone call during the school day, they may request to use a phone in the main office.
Students found to have violated this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action.
Consequences for violation of school cell phone and personal device policy:
First Offense: Confiscation of device(s) and held in the main office until the end of the school day. Before release of the device, the student must discuss and review the policy with a staff member.
Second Offense: Confiscation of device(s) and held in the main office until the student’s parent/guardian are able to collect it and are informed of their student’s decision to break the school’s policy. The student will receive one after-school detention and be prohibited from bringing their cell phone to school for five school days.
Third Offense: Confiscation of device(s) and held in the main office until the student’s parent/guardian are able to collect it and are informed of their student’s decision to repeatedly break the school’s policy. The student will receive five after-school detentions and be prohibited from bringing their cell phone to school for one month.
Fourth Offense: Confiscation of device(s) and held in the main office until the student’s parent/guardian are able to collect it. The student will be prohibited from bringing their cell phone to school for the remainder of the school year.
Administrative Discretion:
· - Administration reserves the right to adjust consequences on a case-by-case basis such as in cases of bullying, harassment, or other behaviors that may result in suspension, expulsion, or coordination with law enforcement.
· - Administration, in collaboration with their staff, determine when personal devices may be used outside of the Pre-school – Grade 12 Guidelines.
The Board acknowledges certain violations of this policy pose severe risks to academic integrity or student safety. Students found in severe violation of this policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion. Severe violations of this policy involve highly inappropriate activities including, but not limited to:
1. Electronic communication that contains inappropriate content, profanity, intimidation or threats to others or that might reasonably create in the mind of another person an impression of being threatened, humiliated, harassed, embarrassed, or intimidated;
2. Sexting, which includes intentionally creating, producing, distributing, presenting, transmitting, posting, exchanging, disseminating, or possessing, through any photograph or digital media, any photograph or digitized image or any visual depiction of a person in any condition of nudity, or involved in any prohibited sexual act;
3. Academic dishonesty or cheating;
4. The use of camera or recording features in restrooms, locker rooms or for any use constituting an invasion of any person’s reasonable expectation of privacy;
5. Communicating in any way with outside groups or individuals to participate in violent acts or other inappropriate or unlawful activities on school property or at school-sponsored activities;
6. Refusal to relinquish phone or device to persons of authority upon request; or
7. Capturing, recording, or transmitting audio and/or pictures or videos of another without proper consent.
This policy shall not be interpreted to justify unreasonable searches of phones or other devices by school personnel. Any search of a student’s phone or device by school personnel shall be:
1. Justified at its inception and based on reasonable grounds that the search would reveal evidence of a student’s severe violation of this policy;
2. Reasonably related to its objectives and not excessively intrusive in light of the nature of the infraction; and
3. Conducted in accordance with district policy.
As necessary for the implementations of this policy, the superintendent may establish regulations, consistent with this policy, further limiting or prohibiting the possession and use of phones and personal devices.
If there is significant or unusual damage or loss of the school-provided device container, the student will be charged the replacement cost.
The Highmore-Harrold School District assumes no responsibility for loss, damage or theft of cellular phones and personal devices whether in the possession of students, on school property or if confiscated by school personnel pursuant to this policy.
LEGAL REFS.:
ARSD 24:07 Student due process
SDCL 13-32-4 School board to assist in discipline
SDCL 49-31-31 Harassment by electronic devices 2
Adopted: August 19, 2025