Albany County schools weigh full-day cellphone ban before June 9 vote

Albany County School District No. 1 is moving toward a decision that could put students’ personal cellphones and smart devices away for the full instructional day, not just during class. The board is expected to take a final reading and vote June 9, a step that would settle how strictly the district applies a new state mandate in classrooms, hallways and other school spaces.

District leaders have already put the proposal on the table. At the May 13 board meeting, trustees approved Draft Policy 4025, Student Use of Cellular Telephones and Smart Devices, on first reading. Human Resources Director Melanie Sylte and Deputy Superintendent Kirby Eisenhauer have outlined the policy as one that would govern student use of personal devices on district property during the instructional day.

The debate now is not whether phones can distract. It is how broad the response should be. Staff and students pressing the board to reconsider the full-day ban are raising practical concerns that go beyond classroom focus, including emergency communication, enforcement burden, lost learning time and the discipline problems that can follow when a device rule is hard to police consistently.

That tension lands in the middle of a new statewide requirement. Enrolled Act No. 46, passed by the Wyoming Legislature this year, immediately amended state law to require every school district board of trustees to adopt formal policies covering student possession and use of cell phones and smart devices in schools. Districts must submit board-approved, compliant policies to the Wyoming Department of Education by July 1, 2026, and send in any later substantial revisions as well. The law defines smart devices and excludes wearables that only tell time, monitor health or track location.

The state’s approach marks a shift from an earlier, broader push. A 2025 Wyoming bill that would have required schools to prohibit cellphone use during instructional time failed in the Senate. This year’s law left the details to local boards, which means Albany County School District No. 1 now has to decide how much discretion teachers will have, what exceptions will apply for emergencies or staff approval, and whether the policy reaches only class time or the entire school day.

The district’s board calendar lists a Business Meeting for June 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., close to the June 9 vote that would finish the policy process. For Albany County families, the decision will shape how students manage alarms, messages and after-school logistics during the school day, while also setting the tone for enforcement across the district next year.