The Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) is going phone-free starting in the 2026-2027 school year after the TUHSD Governing Board voted 3-2 to approve a plan under superintendent Dr. Courtney Goode’s recommendation. Trustees Jennifer Holden, Kevin Saavedra, and Cynthia Roenisch voted in favor, while trustees Ida Green and Emily Uhlhorn voted against the plan.

According to NuKase’s website, these cases work by locking phones in hard-shell cases that are extremely difficult to break open. The superintendent’s presentation to the Board states the approval of the purchase is estimated to be a one-time cost of $104,000 and an annual cost of $0-$10,000, and the plan is supposed to limit teacher involvement with restricting phone usage.

Live coverage of the April 14 board meeting on The Tam News started at 4 p.m. and paused temporarily at 9 p.m. A breaking news notice regarding the Board’s final decision was posted around 10:30 p.m. Previous updates from this board meeting are listed below.

BREAKING: The Board has decided district schools will be phone-free for the 2026-2027 school year. The majority voted yes to doing so.

9:08 p.m. update: The board has moved onto item 13f. This agenda item is about phone-free schools. The superintendent is now speaking.

9:02 p.m. update: The board has moved onto item 13e. The Board will soon move onto agenda item 13f that brings up the topic of phone-free schools. There might be possible action.

8:58 p.m. update: Tam principal Sam Pasarow just made a public comment. He said the City of Mill Valley will reduce the speed limit on the Almonte backroad, where many Tam students drive and park, due to safety concerns.

8:48 p.m. update: The board just moved onto item 13d. This agenda item addresses Tam High construction.

8:42 p.m. update: The board just moved onto item 13c.

8:33 p.m. update: The Board is on item 13b. The Board still hasn’t moved onto item 13f which addresses phone-free schools.

8:23 p.m. update: The meeting has resumed from a break.

8:15 p.m. update: Community members were continually speaking over trustees. The Board will move onto item 13b after a break.

8:10 p.m. update: Public comment regarding item 13a is now closed.

8:05 p.m. update: A parent speaking to the Board said the TEAM program was “a lifeline, not an option.”

8:00 p.m. update: The Board still hasn’t moved onto agenda item 13b.

7:53 p.m. update: Community members are speaking to the Board about TEAM’s possible cut to a one-year program.

7:41 p.m. update: Audience members shouted, requesting time for public comment. Board of Trustees President Cynthia Roenisch said the Board can have as much time as needed to discuss agenda items. Redwood’s student trustee Evelyn Jones spoke about this agenda item. Jones thanked community members for attending the meeting.

7:32 p.m. update: The Board hasn’t moved onto the next agenda item. There is an on-going discussion about TEAM as of now.

7:22 p.m. update: A discussion about TEAM is still happening. According to the meeting agenda, the Board is supposed to move onto item 13b on the agenda around now.

7:14 p.m. update: According to the meeting agenda, the Board is supposed to move on to item 13f regarding phone-free schools at 7:40 p.m. There may be possible Board action tonight.

7:11 p.m. update: The Board is currently on item 13a regarding TEAM’s possible cut to a one-year program. The board is supposed to move on to item 13b, “Discuss Updated Five-Year Deferred Maintenance and Capital Outlay Facilities Plan,” at around 7:20 p.m. according to the meeting agenda.

7:06 p.m. update: Uhlhorn heard from many community members prior to this meeting that worried TEAM will slowly go away. A discussion about this program is happening right now. Trustee Jennifer Holden was speaking. “We’ve had budget concerns for a long time,” she said.

7:01 p.m. update: Trustee Emily Uhlhorn is now speaking about TEAM.

6:43 p.m. update: According to a slideshow being presented, TEAM began in 1991 at Tamiscal High School as a one-year program with 24 students and TEAM became a two-year program in 2023.

6:39 p.m. update: TEAM is now presenting to the Board regarding the reduction of its program. “I still want to see this program continue,” the speaker said.

6:36 p.m. update: Many people are holding up signs saying to save TEAM.

6:35 p.m. update: The superintendent has finished reporting. Board of Trustees President Cynthia Roenisch said she is glad more students are enrolling in AP courses. The Compass program, according to the superintendent, is only available at Tam currently but is expected to expand to other district schools. The Board is now moving to item 13a on the agenda, mentioning TEAM academy at Archie Williams High School.

6:31 p.m. update: The superintendent said that 14 Tam High sophomores are taking a course at College of Marin called Compass, which allows them to get college credit.

6:28 p.m. update: The superintendent said CAASP participation rates have increased. He hopes there is also a growth in student achievement.

6:25 p.m. update: The superintendent is now reporting. He said he has “a lot of good news to share.”

6:23 p.m. update: Student trustees Evelyn Jones, Helen Kay, and Adriella Marcus all brought up the topic of phone restrictions in their reports to the Board. Kay also mentioned that many students were asking her questions about the possible implementation of Yondr pouches on district campuses.

6:12 p.m. update: Student trustees are beginning to report to the Board, starting with Evelyn Jones from Archie Williams High School.

6:09 p.m. update: A speaker just urged the board to allow more time for public comment.

6:07 p.m. update: There are three comments for items not on the agenda

6:02 p.m. update: The board meeting has now started.

5:57 p.m. update: Many people are also coming to speak to the Board about TEAM, an outdoor education program at Archie Williams. The program might be cut from two years to one due to board-mandated budget cuts.

5:02 p.m. update: The Board is now hosting a closed session in the Kreps Conference Center where most board meetings are held. The Kreps Conference Center is on Redwood High School’s campus.

4:10 p.m. update: The Board will start a closed session in about an hour. On agenda item 13F which discusses phone-free schools, there is a presentation attached that will likely be presented by the superintendent. In the presentation there are six proposed solutions to cell-phone usage in district schools.