Texting while driving now prohibited in School Board policy
In what is believed to be the first action taken by a governmental agency in Lee County and possibly one of the first in Florida and the nation, Lee County Public Schools has amended a policy to directly address the issue of distracted driving.
“This has really come to the forefront of the national discussion, and we felt we had to enact policy to address it head on,” said Dr. James Browder, Superintendent of Schools. “We want our employees who are on the road to act in a safe manner and avoiding distractions is vital to that effort.”
School Board Policy 7.04 addresses Driving District Vehicles. And this year, specific language was added that reads:
Employees are prohibited from text messaging while driving a District owned, leased or rented vehicle, or when driving a personally owned vehicle while on official District business or when using electronic equipment supplied by the District while driving…
“Texting” or “Text Messaging” means reading from or entering data into any handheld or other electronic device, including for the purpose of SMS texting, e-mailing, instant messaging, obtaining navigational information or engaging in any other form of electronic data retrieval or electronic data communication.
Source: Lee County Public Schools Communication Department