In accordance with House Bill 1481, passed during the 89th Texas Legislative Session, McKinney ISD—along with school districts across the state—will implement a new policy regarding student use of personal communication devices during the school day. This policy will go into effect on August 12, 2025.

To ensure full compliance with this legislation, McKinney ISD will take deliberate and consistent steps across all campuses. These steps include clearly communicating expectations to students, applying uniform procedures districtwide, and enforcing appropriate disciplinary actions in line with district policy and the Student Code of Conduct.

Students who have a personal communication device that is out, visible, or not properly stored during the school day will be subject to disciplinary consequences.

Prohibited personal communication devices include, but are not limited to:

Smartphones


Laptops and tablets


Smartwatches


Earbuds and earphones


Smart eyeglasses

Portable gaming devices

Key Points for Families:

All personal communication devices must remain out of sight from the moment students enter campus until the dismissal bell rings. This includes lunch and passing periods. The following discipline consequences will be as follows.

• 1st Violation: Warning; Device turned in to the House Office (Day of); Device returned to student or parent; parent notified

• 2nd Violation: 4-hour after-school detention assigned; Device will be returned only to a parent/guardian

• 3rd Violation: Device turned in to the House Office (Day of);

  Device will be returned only to a parent/guardian;

  1 Day of In-School Suspension (ISS); Mandatory parent/student conference with House Principal

Further violations will be considered insubordination of school policy and will result in escalated consequences, including additional ISS, Out-of-School Suspension (OSS), and possible placement in the DAEP program.

• 4th Violation: 3 Days ISS

• 5th Violation: 5 Days ISS

• 6th+ Violation: DAEP Placement

Student may be prohibited from bringing personal devices to campus for the remainder of the semester

Devices may be carried and kept in backpacks and accessed only in the event of an emergency. McKinney ISD supports students having access to phones in crisis situations.


Students with documented health needs that require a device will be permitted to use it. Please coordinate directly with your campus nurse to make arrangements.



Students will continue to use district-issued devices, such as iPads or MacBooks, for instructional purposes.


The district’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy has been updated in the 2025–2026 Student Handbook to reflect that BYOD is no longer permitted under HB 1481.

In the coming weeks, additional details regarding disciplinary procedures will be shared through the Student Handbook.