GISD implements strategy to corral students’ devices

The 2025-2026 school year arrives next week, long before official guidance reaches schools on how to comply with House Bill 1481.
From the day it was signed into law, districts had 90 days to come up with a plan to for the legislature’s still-new prohibition on student cell phones.
Gladewater ISD’s ready with a practical, non-punitive plan in place when school begins at 7:40 a.m. Aug. 5.
The simple version: the vast majority of students must keep all electronic communication devices off and out of sight from 7:10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Tuesday through Friday school week. If a device is spotted, it’ll be taken up and held in the office for a parent or guardian to pick up. After three violations, a student will be required to store the phone in the office every day during instructional hours.
There’s an essential exception for students with medical plans, such as diabetes, who utilize their phones to regulate blood sugar or monitor other conditions. They’ll be permitted to use a device on that limited basis.
Beyond that, “From what I’ve read in the law, it says the child cannot be using it and it cannot be seen during the day,” GISD Superintendent Rae Ann Patty confirmed. From cellular phones and smartwatches to earpods, headphones and everything in between, the gadgets must be powered off and tucked away in a backpack throughout instructional time. “At the end of the day, they can turn them back on… Students will still be able to use them on the school bus; that’s not part of the instructional day. They can use them coming and going – that way they can make any arrangements they need to make with their parents.
“I think right now we have the best policy we can possibly have to manage our expectations for academics and the safety aspects of having a cell phone if something should happen.”
Texas lawmakers dropped the mandate on schools statewide this legislative session. With only limited information available in the law, interpretation and application was tasked to Texas Education Agency. Updates on all the recent legislative changes are rolling out in regular commissioner calls, but details on the smartphone prohibition haven’t been announced yet.
A 29-year educator and mother of twins, now adults, Patty sees both sides of the debate.
“I do know cell phones are distracting in our schools from time to time. It always astounds me how many times a child’s phone will buzz,” she says. That said, “I want to always put safety first. I know children having a phone makes parents feel safe in this day and age.
“There’s also a convenience,” especially for students whose extracurriculars might keep them on campus from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. They need to arrange pick-ups, meal drop-offs and more. “There’s a lot of factors that factor into it.”
For planning purposes, Patty encourages parents to call their student’s front office to arrange any changes of plans for pick-up or drop-off.
“As early as they know they need to make a transportation change, the earlier they can call the office the better. If we have a bunch of people trying to change at 3:30 or 3:45, that’s going to get a little difficult on the office staff.”
Gladewater ISD won’t be charging a fee after a device is taken up.
“The parent just has to come pick it up; or guardian, whoever is on their pickup list,” Patty said. There will be standard discipline if a child is insubordinate or disrespectful regarding a device or it being confiscated: “Other consequences can ensue from that.”
It comes back to three things: safety, focusing on learning and staying in touch as much as possible within the parameters of the new law.
“I do like that we can have school without having the interruptions, but I also want to find that balance,” Patty said, “of how do we keep kids safe, how do we keep them in touch with their parents when they need to be, and how do we keep them focused on learning?”