The Cotter School Board has implemented a plan that will be a big change for students, mandated by the Arkansas Legislature that begins with the 2025-26 school year.
This is a new state law, Act 122, approved in February, which is called the “Bell to Bell No Cell Act”. From the time students are required to be at school until the final bell, they are not allowed to have any electronic devices at school, including cell phones, smart watches, tablets, notebooks, computers or any device that can connect and transmit data through Bluetooth technology, except under certain circumstances.
Cotter will use YONDR pouches for storage of cell phones during the school day according to Superintendent Jayme Jones.
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Jones says there will be certain exceptions where a student will be able to access their phone during the school day.
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Jones says one thing parents at Cotter need to know is if a student violates the rules and their phone gets taken, the phone is not given back to the student, a parent must come to the school to get the phone back.
You can view the complete rules concerning the YONDR pouches in the updated high school and elementary handbook updates here:
Also at the Cotter School Board meeting, a familiar name was hired as an elementary teacher. Vanessa-Thomas Jones, the former superintendent at Cotter, was hired as a third grade teacher. Thomas-Jones, the wife of Jayme Jones, was most recently the curriculum director at Flippin. She was also a former teacher and assistant principal in the Mountain Home School District.
In other business, the Cotter board approved the purchase of school supplies again this year for all of the students in the district, approved an agreement with Chenal Family Therapy to provide on-site behavioral health services, and the board reorganized. Allen Franks was elected President, Cameron Ross was elected Vice-President and Jimmy Morgan was elected Secretary.
Personnel report from Cotter School Board meeting June 30
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