Gary ISD Families,
House Bill 1481 was passed during the 89th Texas Legislative Session and signed into law by Governor Abbott as part of a statewide initiative to promote focused learning environments, reduce distractions in classrooms, and limit cyberbullying and social media misuse during school hours.
The law takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year and requires public school districts across the state to prohibit students from using personal electronic communication devices that can send or receive data on school property during the school day, including during passing periods and at lunch.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Cell Phones
Smart Watches
Fitness Trackers with messaging capabilities
Bluetooth Earbuds or Headphones
Tablets and Personal Computers
Gaming Devices
Two-Way Radios
Pagers
Any other device capable of telecommunication or digital communication
Students will use district-issued devices for instructional purposes.
Exceptions are provided for students with documented medical needs, special education accommodations, or other health and safety requirements as outlined by law.
While Gary ISD already had campus-level cell phone expectations for our secondary and elementary campuses, we are working on a district-wide policy that aligns with the new legal requirements in HB 1481 for the 2025–2026 school year. Additional details will be shared relating to the new policy as it develops.
We encourage parents and guardians to begin discussing this upcoming change with their student(s) to help families be prepared when school starts in August.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we work together to ensure a smooth transition and compliance with this new state law.
House Bill 1481 was passed during the 89th Texas Legislative Session and signed into law by Governor Abbott as part of a statewide initiative to promote focused learning environments, reduce distractions in classrooms, and limit cyberbullying and social media misuse during school hours.
The law takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year and requires public school districts across the state to prohibit students from using personal electronic communication devices that can send or receive data on school property during the school day, including during passing periods and at lunch.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Cell Phones
Smart Watches
Fitness Trackers with messaging capabilities
Bluetooth Earbuds or Headphones
Tablets and Personal Computers
Gaming Devices
Two-Way Radios
Pagers
Any other device capable of telecommunication or digital communication
Students will use district-issued devices for instructional purposes.
Exceptions are provided for students with documented medical needs, special education accommodations, or other health and safety requirements as outlined by law.
While Gary ISD already had campus-level cell phone expectations for our secondary and elementary campuses, we are working on a district-wide policy that aligns with the new legal requirements in HB 1481 for the 2025–2026 school year. Additional details will be shared relating to the new policy as it develops.
We encourage parents and guardians to begin discussing this upcoming change with their student(s) to help families be prepared when school starts in August.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we work together to ensure a smooth transition and compliance with this new state law.
Elementary enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year will start on July 28th! All students must register, even if you have attended the previous year. While families are more than welcome to pick up registration packets for Secondary students at this time, the Secondary enrollment event, which will also include schedule pickups, will happen later on August 12th!
We have received reports that clicking on the LunchMoneyNow link is redirecting parents to a different site. The company has been made aware of this issue and is working on fixing it. For the time being, please do not try to access LunchMoneyNow until further notice.
Parents can now access their student's STAAR scores for the 2024-2025 school year through Parent Portal! Once you log in and select your student, you can press the Texas Assessment button and it will take you directly to the STAAR page!
If you have not turned in your returning student transfer form, please submit it as soon as possible! You can email it to the campus principals or drop it off at the office between the hours of 8AM-4PM, Monday through Thursday.
Check out this sneak peak at the cover for our 2024-2025 yearbook, designed by students Delayna Higginbotham, Shalie Johnson, and William Dickson! There's still time to order a 2024-2025 yearbook! You can purchase online by going to https://tinyurl.com/GaryYBK25 but hurry, the final offer ends next week!
There are still spots available to join us for a Volleyball Hitter's Camp on June 9th-10th! Check out the flyer for more details!
There's still time to purchase your student's school supplies in one, convenient package that will be there before the first day of school! Skip the hassle of going to the store and gathering everything and go to SchoolToolBox instead!
Yesterday, our High School Seniors and Elementary Kindergartners participated in our Senior Walk! This tradition is a joy for everyone as we get to celebrate such an important time in these students lives, together!
Summer workouts begin for JH/HS starting June 2nd! Check out the flyer for the summer workout schedule, and contact Coach Wallace if you have any questions!
We asked our students and staff to wear orange today to show their support for Ethan Shadix, and they all showed out! We took pictures of everyone that we could, but there were so many more that participated! Thank you to Mrs. Coleman and Mrs. Bryan for taking pictures for us at the Elementary!
Our Junior High Awards Ceremony is tomorrow at 1PM in the HS Gym! Come out and cheer on the hard work our students are doing!
This Wednesday we ask that students wear orange to show our support for Ethan Shadix, who has been diagnosed with Leukemia B-ALL!
Seniors, don’t forget tomorrow is our first graduation practice at 9:40am! Immediately after practice, we will take a final group photo, so dress nicely. Finally, if you ordered extra roses, please bring the payment tomorrow. Each extra rose is $7.
Last week our 5th graders in Mrs. Bryan's Social Studies class finished their final project; the Living Wax Museum! We loved seeing all of these historic figures come to life!
Just a reminder that Coach Reed will be hosting a Girls basketball camp for incoming 2nd-9th grade students! Check out the flyer for more details, order forms are at the front offices!
The Elementary Robotics teams attended the Region 7 Robotics Competition this week. During the competition, there are several challenges to conquer. Round 1, the students are challenged to build and maneuver their robots through and obstacle course. Round 2, the students are given 30 minutes to build a robot from scratch to accomplish a certain challenge. This challenge was for the robot to shoot a ball at the bullseye. Round 3, was to submit an engineering notebook.
We do not yet know our total placing, but the students worked hard and enjoyed the challenges they faced. Their creativity and skill was outstanding.
Way to go ROBOTICS!!
Huge congratulations to our HS OAP that earned 3rd in State last Tuesday! We are so proud of their hard work and look forward to their continued success in theater! Kobi Roehl and senior, Jesse Goodman earned All-Star Cast!
EDIT: We apologize for the mixup, it is actually on Wednesday, May 21st!
Our Junior High Awards Ceremony will be held next Wednesday, May 21st at 1PM in the HS Gym! Families are welcome to attend as we celebrate our students' successes!
Our high school is looking for a science teacher! If you are interested in working at our small, but mighty district, please give us a call!
