Photo by Emma Delk Marshall County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shelby Haines said Policy 5136 Personal Communications Devices would add progressive discipline levels for students who disobey cell phone use guidelines during the board of education meeting on Tuesday.

MOUNDSVILLE — Marshall County Board of Education members unanimously approved the first reading of Policy 5136 Personal Communication Devices to update student cell phone use guidelines Tuesday.

The updated policy defines Personal Electronic Devices as “any portable device capable of wireless communicating or computing,” including cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches and portable gaming systems. PEDs are permitted on school property but cannot be accessed during instructional time.

Students must store their PEDs in their assigned locker during the school day, except during lunchtime. Students may be exempt from this policy if they have a medical or special education need or are enrolled in a county board-approved, work-based learning program.

Superintendent Shelby Haines informed BOE members that Cameron High School students already store their phones in their lockers during the school day. She noted that “a lot” of John Marshall High School students still stored their phones in their backpacks last school year, which would no longer be permitted with the new policy.

Haines said administrators had been working with JMHS Principal Jason Marling to ensure that students are assigned lockers close to their class after lunch, allowing them to store their phones easily.

“We don’t want anybody to be late for class, so we’re going to have to work through some of those hiccups at John Marshall,” Haines said. “The phone policy is like our current one, just now students will have to have their phone in their locker during class time, but they can still have it out during lunch.”

Policy 5136 also adds progressive discipline levels for students who use their cell phones during instructional time. Elementary school students are subject to three levels of offenses for disobeying the policy, with each level of discipline resulting in the confiscation of their device. For the second offense, students will be assigned to detention or internal suspension, and the third offense will result in one day of out-of-school suspension.

Middle and high school students will also have their devices confiscated for each offense. The first offense will result in three days of lunch detention, the second offense will result in five days of lunch detention and the third offense will result in one day of internal suspension. For additional offenses, students will receive one day of internal suspension and their privilege of possessing a device at school may be revoked for one semester.

Haines said the county had worked with high school principals and teachers to curb cell phone use during instructional time, adding that each school had its own progressive discipline policy for students caught using their phones during class.

“We just had to make sure those discipline levels matched for the county at the high school level and then the same for the middle school level,” Haines said. “When you go through the halls of our schools, you’ll see a lot of teachers already have signs on their door that say, ‘Turn it off’ or ‘Put it away.'”

The anticipated second reading of the policy will occur during the 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5 BOE meeting at the board office. If approved after the second reading, the policy will be enacted for the 2025-26 school year.

In other business, BOE members approved the transfers of Sherrard Middle School music teacher Michael Murphy and JMHS math teacher Timothy Jones to become assistant principals at Moundsville Middle School and JMHS, respectively. BOE President John Miller said it was “gratifying” to see Murphy and Jones, who were present at the meeting, “rising through the ranks and paying their dues” to reach the positions.

“You’ve worked with our students and our staff in the county for several years,” Miller said. “We welcome both of you, and we’re thrilled. You will have the support county-wide from us as a board and county administration.”

Haines said the teaching positions that Murphy and Jones would leave behind would need to be filled before the coming school year. The resignation of JMHS science teacher Nicolette Secrest left another position open at the high school that will need to be filled.