Portland Public Schools’ newest draft phone policy would strengthen “outside of school” restrictions for elementary and middle school students. While high school students would still have access to their phones during lunch, the new version requires younger students to hide their devices all day unless they are being used for academic activities.

PPS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Franco, however, recommends allowing high school students access to their phones during passing periods as well.

“Depending on the method used to ensure that phones are ‘closed and put away,’ there may be significant logistical challenges to enforcing restrictions between classes,” he wrote in a Nov. 12 memo to the committee considering phone policy .

As with the previous draft policy, individual schools may implement additional restrictions. Policy committee chair Julia Brim-Edwards has made her stance on enforcement clear: she wants to leave schools in charge.

The other change to the draft concerns equity: PPS would have to fairly distribute funds to schools to implement the policy. The equity amendment would make enforcement with the controversial Yondr bags expensive: At $30 per unit, it would cost $725,700 to buy enough for every middle and high school student in the district.