Coronado Unified School District - *NEW Student Cell Phone Policy

Parents & Students

*NEW Student Cell Phone Policy

Photo with the following statement: Phones away. Minds Engaged. Futures Bright. 2026-27 CUSD District-Wide Smart Device Policy

Please review the cell phone policy below for your student's school level (Elementary, Middle, or High School.

Elementary School

Personal and District Electronic Device Policy at VES and SSES

Personal Devices:

Coronado Unified School District understands families may wish to provide their children with personal smart devices for access to and from school. Our goal is to partner with our families to provide a safe and optimal learning environment in accordance with district policies regarding personal devices.

Elementary students are not permitted to wear or access personal/electronic/smart devices (e.g., watches, games, tablets, laptops) on campus during the school day, including breakfast. Students who bring devices must turn them off and give them to office personnel or the classroom teacher for the duration of the day. In the event of a schoolwide emergency during the school day, personal devices may be returned to students.
Students wishing to contact guardians during the school day may request use of our office phones, and guardians may call the office to request we relay time-sensitive messages to students during the school day as well.
Students who access or have personal devices in their possession during the school day will have their devices confiscated and stored by an administrator, who will follow up with guardians to return device(s) and explain and reinforce our personal electronics policy.In the case of progressive violations, administrative actions will be taken in accordance with the CUSD Discipline Action Guide.

District-Distributed Devices:

Students in grades 1 through 5 in CUSD will be provided with a Chromebook for learning activities. These devices are the property of CUSD and entrusted to students for appropriate educational use.

For purposes of protecting student safety and privacy, students' use of district devices and networks is monitored by a filtering agent, which alerts district administrators to activity associated with potentially harmful searches, websites, and student-generated content both at school and elsewhere.
Teachers will use their discretion to determine when district devices may be brought home for educational use by students after hours and on weekends.
Students are advised to consider their Chromebooks as "for school business only," with awareness that access to districttechnology is a privilege, not a right, and violations of district technology policies may result in loss of those privileges.
Families bear responsibility for purposeful damage to district devices; our district recommends purchasing insuranceto assist with the cost of potential repairs.

Middle School

Beginning this 2026-27 school year Coronado Middle School will be a bell-to-bell phone-free campus.

While technology has transformed education in many ways that provide opportunities, it has also brought significant and unexpected challenges. The constant presence of cell phones in schools has contributed to distractions, reduced focus, and increased social and emotional challenges among students.

Our new phone-free initiative aims to enhance our students' learning environment by minimizing distractions and promoting greater focus in the classroom as well as encouraging more genuine peer to peer interactions and engagement.

As with any new policy, there will be a learning curve, but we are excited and confident that our students and staff are ready and will benefit greatly from this new policy.

The first step in implementation is to introduce the new secure phone management system. We will be using Generation Faraday locking, signal-blocking phone bags. The signal isolation stops calls, texts, and notifications from phones and connected smart devices (i.e. earpods, smart watches) during storage.

All students will store their smart devices, phones (phones, watches and other devices) in locked pouches, which they will keep in their backpack, during school hours These bags will remain locked throughout the entire school day.

Please read the sections below to get acquainted with the new policy:

How It Works:

Each student will be assigned a numbered secure, locking, signal-blocking bag for their phone.

Student pouches will be assigned/issued during assigned times for Schedule Pick Up on FRIDAY, AUGUST 7th - and must be brought to school every day.

Phones will be placed in the bags upon arrival at school.
The bags will be unlocked when students leave school at the end of the day using secure unlocking stations.

UnlockDocks will be located at all school exit sites.

Students will still have access to their phones before and after school for logistical and communication needs.

Student Responsibility:

Students will be responsible for using their phone bags properly and treating them with care.

The locking bags are school property and must be handled with care. Treat the bag with the same care as other school-issued materials, such as books or laptops.
Any intentional damage to the bags (e.g., forcefully opening, cutting, or tampering with the lock) will result in a replacement fee of $40 per damaged bag.

Accidental Damage: The school will replace the bag at no cost.
Intentional Damage: The $40 replacement fee will apply
Lost Bags: Must be reported immediately; a replacement fee may apply.

Failure to return the bag at the end of the school year may result in additional consequences.
All students will be required to follow our Usage and Care Policy. The policy will be sent home with students for parent signatures.
Students who do not follow the phone policy will have the following consequences:

1st Offense: Device is turned in to administration for one week (5 school days) during school hours. The student will be assigned to detention.
2nd Offense: Parent/Guardian will be contacted and required to pick up the device. A Referral and detention will be assigned. The device will be turned in to administration for one month (20 school days) during school hours.
3rd Offense: Parent/Guardian will be contacted and required to pick up the device. A Referral and detention will be assigned. The device will be turned in to administration for the remainder of the semester, or (20 school days), whichever is longer.
Subsequent offenses will result in further loss of privileges.

***Per semester

Emergency or Medical Situations

In the event of an emergency or lockdown, parents should rely on official school communications sent through the school's phone or text communication system. Following a single source of information helps prevent misinformation and ensures families receive clear instructions.

During lockdowns, students may be required to remain quiet and hidden. Phone notifications, calls, or messages can create unnecessary noise and may compromise safety procedures.

Each teacher and/or authorized staff member will have unlocking tools for emergency situations.

Accommodations are available for students with IEPs, 504 Plans, or health-related needs, including phone bag options without Faraday lining and/or locking mechanisms, ensuring students can safely access necessary resources while participating fully in school expectations.

These exemptions will be made in collaboration with families of students with any of the needs outlined above.

We are excited for the opportunities created by this policy. By minimizing social media distractions and online drama, we expect the freedom of being phone free will encourage students to be more engaged in class, support mental wellness and emotional well-being, help students build authentic face-to-face connections with peers and adults on campus, and ultimately foster a deeper sense of community and belonging.

High School

CELL PHONE/AIRPODS/HEADPHONES POLICY

MANDATORY: ALL students are required to place their cell phones in their assigned slot in the classroom cell phone lockbox at the start of every class period. This is required in every classroom on campus. Phones must remain in the lockbox for the duration of the class period and may only be retrieved at the end of the period. For PE classes, students must secure their phones in lockers at the start of class, where they will remain until the end of the period. On Wednesdays, students will follow regular classroom rules as noted above.

Cell phones are not to be carried outside of the classroom during a class period. Students who have their cell phones in the bathrooms, hallways, on the quad, etc. during class time will result in immediate confiscation and the phone will be sent directly to the office (see “office submission” consequences below).

Airpods and Headphones: All listening devices are required to be in backpacks during class time.

Smart watches and other smart devices are required to be in backpacks during class time.

Confiscation guidelines follow the same protocols as phones. Students are encouraged not to wear smartwatches or bring other smart devices to school.

Tardies (excused and unexcused): Because classroom phone boxes are locked immediately at the start of the period:

Tardy students must turn in their cell phones at the front office upon arrival.
Students can retrieve their phones from the front office at the end of that class period.

Progressive Discipline:

Failure to follow the CHS Cell Phone Policy will result in the progressive disciplinary actions detailed below:

1st Infraction: Phone is confiscated for the class period and held in a secure place by teacher or administration The teacher/faculty completes the cell phone infraction form as a “minor referral” Student picks up phone at the end of the period	2nd Infraction: Phone is confiscated and held in a secure location with administration for the remainder of the day. The teacher/faculty completes the cell phone infraction form as a “major referral” The teacher/faculty communicates infraction to the parent/guardian Student picks up phone at the end of the day
3rd Infraction: Phone is confiscated and held in a secure location with administration for the remainder of the day. The teacher/faculty completes the cell phone infraction form as a “major referral” Assistant Principal will contact the parent/guardian to communicate infraction and that their student will turn in their phone to the front office everyday upon entering the campus. Student picks up phone at the end of the day	Fourth Infraction: Phone is confiscated and held in a secure location with administration for the remainder of the day. Assistant Principal will document the referral and contact the parent/guardian to communicate infraction and schedule a meeting to discuss a cell phone plan moving forward Student will turn in their phone to the front office everyday upon entering the campus. Loss of off campus lunch - detention. Student picks up phone at the end of the day
Continued Infractions: Referral will be written for “defiance” or “non compliance” and progressive discipline will be followed per CUSD Discipline Action Guide. Detention, Saturday School, Loss of Privileges (including but not limited to electronics, school activities, off campus at lunch, etc.)

What should I do if I need to contact my student during the school day? Parents that need to communicate to their student during the school day should call the front office who will share the message with your student or message their student during breaks and lunch.

How will cell phones that are confiscated be kept safe? If a cell phone is confiscated from a student, it will be taken to the front office and be kept in a locked box for the duration of the day until it is retrieved at the end of the school day.

What if my student needs a phone for a medical reason? Students who use their cell phone to monitor a medical condition (i.e. diabetes, epilepsy) may have their cell phone with them at all times, but must adhere to all other expectations of the cell phone policy.