The Lake Pend Oreille School District Board of Trustees designated presiding officers during an annual meeting Tuesday.

Trustee Scott Wood nominated Trustee Lonnie Williams to serve as the board’s chair. Williams had been acting in the seat since former Board Chair Geraldine Lewis resigned in November, and all trustees voted in favor of the nomination. 

Trustees Jalon Peters and Tonya Sherman both nominated themselves to serve as vice chair; the board voted to appoint Sherman to the position. 

During the meeting, the board gave first readings of a pair of new policies and revised a proposed electronic devices policy introduced in December 2024.

Under the proposed policy, all students would be prohibited from using cell phones during class time. Use during lunchtime and passing periods is forbidden for students in grades K-8. 

In its first iteration, the policy banned device use during lunchtime and passing time for students in all grades. Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer said her perspective on cell phones in schools hasn’t changed, and that the revision was driven by feedback from students. 

“I am in support of turning off cell phones for the entire school day,” Meyer said. “My professional opinion is that it would be better for students to not have them on at all.” 

Newly appointed Trustee David DeMers suggested adding language to the policy that specifies students must silence devices when they’re stowed during periods use is prohibited to reduce the risk of notifications interrupting classes; trustees voted in support of the change. 

“They’re kids,” said DeMers. “If you don’t remind them, they're going to forget about it.” 

The two new policies introduced in the meeting — 8530 Property Damage and 9805 Memorials on School Grounds — specify that the district will maintain an insurance program that protects its buildings, equipment and property and that memorials for deceased students or staff should be limited to perpetual awards of scholarships, with permanent physical memorials not allowed on school grounds. 

The board will meet next at 5 p.m. Feb. 11 at the LPOSD office, 365 Triangle Drive, Ponderay.