Superintendent Provides Update on School Cell Phone Policies

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dr. Michael Patton, Superintendent of Schools for the Saratoga Springs City School District, provided a brief update on the district’s cell phone policies during the September 12 Board of Education meeting.

Patton said the district would be obtaining feedback and input from students and parents across the district this fall to see if “next steps” might be necessary to develop “a more comprehensive approach.”

Patton warned that any changes made to current cell phone policies could be undone by the state government at some point in the future. “I can’t try to predict what is going to happen at the state level,” Patton said. “We may just have to adjust when that information is made available.”

Currently, cell phones are not permitted in any Saratoga Springs elementary schools or middle schools.

At the high school level, the district is in its second year of a policy that prevents students from using cell phones in class or during instructional time. Students are allowed to use their phones in the hallways and in the cafeteria.