This informtion can be found on pages 7-8 of the Thomas Russell Middle School 2025-2026 Student Handbook.
Recent research has shown excessive cell phone and social media usage can cause an increase in anxiety and depression amongst middle school aged children. Any electronic device (cell phone, gaming device, headphones, bluetooth speaker, or smartwatch, etc.) used without explicit permission of TRMS staff may be deemed to have created disruption to the instructional environment and will be confiscated; disciplinary actions may also take place. Students may not use their Chromebook or any other devices during lunch, brunch, or other out-of-classroom parts of the school day. Students found recording or taking photos of other students on campus will be subject to additional disciplinary consequences, in addition to device confiscation. Bullying or harassment that occurs over social media (whether it occurs during or outside of school) that leads to conflict or harassment on campus will be investigated by site administration, and potentially Milpitas Police Department, and students will receive appropriate disciplinary consequences.
STUDENT PHONES MAY NOT BE USED ON CAMPUS AT ANY TIME AND SHOULD BE KEPT INSIDE STUDENT BACKPACKS.
Phones used on campus will be confiscated, following the consequences outlined below:
Consequences for confiscated devices:
1st Offense – The device is confiscated and taken to the administration before the end of the school day. The
student can retrieve the device from administration at the end of the day.
2nd Offense – The device is confiscated and taken to the administration before the end of the school day. A
parent/guardian will be required to obtain the device from the office.
3rd Offense - The device is confiscated and turned in to the administration before the end of the school day. A
parent/guardian will be required to obtain the device from the office, meet with administration, and
sign an electronics agreement. Student will be encouraged to check in their device in the morning out
of the office in the afternoon each day to avoid further confiscation.
4th Offense - The device is confiscated and kept in the office until the end of the school year.
Other electronic devices, such as cameras, personal laptops, video game equipment, airpods or other headphones should also not be on campus. If these items are confiscated, they will also be logged as a confiscated device. These items are logged the same way and whether one confiscation was a phone, another was a camera, and a third was headphones, TRMS will follow consequences given the number of total times items have been confiscated, NOT the number of times each individual device was confiscated.
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