{"id":288,"date":"2026-05-12T21:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanantoniomovingreport.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2026-05-12T21:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:31:28","slug":"neisd-revises-cellphone-policy-after-being-threatened-with-state-conservatorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanantoniomovingreport.com\/?p=288","title":{"rendered":"NEISD revises cellphone policy after being threatened with state conservatorship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This story has been updated. <\/em><\/p>\n

High schoolers at North East Independent School District will no longer be able to use their phones during passing periods or lunch after this school year.<\/p>\n

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NEISD\u2019s board revised its cell phone policy on Monday after getting heat from state officials who said the district\u2019s policy wasn\u2019t in compliance with the actual law. Taking effect last year, House Bill 1481 bans students from using personal communication devices during the school day.<\/p>\n

While the bill doesn\u2019t explicitly define a \u201cschool day,\u201d guidance from the Texas Education Agency takes \u201c\u201d to mean the time of day beginning with the first bell of the day and ending with the last bell of the day.<\/p>\n

But NEISD\u2019s policy allowed high schoolers and some middle schoolers to use their phones during passing and lunch periods, saying those periods weren\u2019t part of the \u201cschool day\u201d since instruction wasn\u2019t occurring. Cellphonesweren\u2019t allowed on campus at all at the elementary level at NEISD.<\/p>\n

In late September, the district\u2019s cellphone policy drew a \u201cnotice of compliance review\u201d from the TEA informing NEISD that it was under investigation after receiving complaints that the district wasn\u2019t complying with the new education law.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the district kept firm on its policy, and then-superintendent Sean Maika responded to the TEA with a\u00a0\u00a0in October, defending NEISD\u2019s policy as an extension of parents\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n

Since the district didn\u2019t change its policy, TEA launched a more formal investigation in February, and the school board stuck to its guns again.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrankly, I think this is a test case,\u201d trustee Diane Sciba Villarreal said at the time. \u201cI think they\u2019re trying to see how far they can push us. If we give in this time, it\u2019ll be something else next month.\u201d<\/p>\n

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TEA concluded its investigation earlier this month. The recommended that the state issue a conservator intervention at NEISD to \u201censure adherence to state law requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

A conservatorship could override school board and administrative decisions. <\/p>\n

Maika stepped down from his position in January, and interim superintendent Anthony Jarrett currently leads the district.<\/p>\n

Board members voted 5-1 to redefine \u201cschool day\u201d to mean from the first to last bell of the day at all campuses.<\/p>\n

Board president David Beyer was the lone \u201cno\u201d vote and board member Tracie Shelton was not present. <\/p>\n

Beyer did not publicly comment on why he voted against amending NEISD\u2019s policy, simply saying it\u2019s been a \u201cbalancing act\u201d as the district works to stay in compliance with state rules and make parents feel heard. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to listen to parents,\u201d said board member Terri Chidgey. <\/p>\n

Villarreal, who\u2019s become a vocal critic of the state\u2019s cellphone guidance, said changing the policy was necessary for NEISD to keep autonomy. \u201cWhile it\u2019s extremely difficulty for me to back down, I do not want to put this district in any sort of peril just for being stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally set to take effect on the last day of classes May 29, the new policy will take effect when students return to classes in the fall for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n

Read more Top races to watch in the May 26 Democratic and Republican primary runoffs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEISD has amended its phone policy to appease state officials: Students can no longer use cell phones during passing periods or lunch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nNEISD revises cellphone policy after being threatened with state conservatorship - San Antonio moving report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanantoniomovingreport.com\/?p=288\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NEISD revises cellphone policy after being threatened with state conservatorship - 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