Overview
- Texas Education Agency investigators said North East ISD’s board knowingly failed to follow state law and urged appointing a conservator with power to overrule board and superintendent decisions.
- The proposed conservator would order a legally compliant policy, track campus enforcement and parent communication, and require trustee training on statutory interpretation and board duties.
- House Bill 1481 requires districts to bar student phone use during the school day, while NEISD limited its ban to class time and allowed phones during lunch and passing periods.
- After a corrective action plan in November, trustees voted in January to keep the narrower policy, and district leaders now say they are reviewing the report and may appeal or sue, with legal costs previously estimated at $50,000 to $100,000.
- TEA ruled out lighter remedies and noted it could have sought a board of managers, yet it opted for a conservator as a strong oversight tool, with no date set for the appointment and likely end of student phone use during non-class periods if enforced.