The board of trustees at Monday's meeting approved a measure that prohibits the use of smart watches entirely for elementary and middle school students and mandates that high school students may only use them outside of instructional time.
The measure passed 6-0 with trustee Dawn Champagne abstaining from voting.
Champagne said she was concerned about the policy because she thinks parents should have the right to decide if their child has a smart watch at school.
"I think it is a parent's choice to give a child an Apple watch," she said.
She also posited that it was an unfair burden on teachers to expect them to police the use of expensive devices.
"What I'm concerned about is how we are going to monitor these smart watches," Champagne said. "They cost $400 each. That's a big burden to me for a teacher."
Board President Victor Perez said smart watches can be used for messaging purposes, which could be used for cheating or communicating without a teacher's knowledge.
Trustee Mary Ellen Cuzela argued that children don't need watches at all because every classroom and hallway has a clock visible.
"The goal of this is to remove any distraction from the classroom," she said.
The revised telecommunications policy comes as a result of the most recent Katy ISD bond, whereby all students will be issued Chromebooks, said Christopher Morgan, assistant superintendent for secondary leadership and support.
Because of those Chromebooks, he said, cell phones and smart devices will no longer be needed.
At the June 20 meeting, a district committee called for cell phones to be "put away and kept out of sight" during class time for elementary and middle school students. High school students may use their phones outside of instructional time.
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