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SYRACUSE — Wawasee students will face tighter cellphone restrictions when classes resume after the school board approved updated handbooks Tuesday, July 14, alongside expanded dual-credit opportunities, new meal prices and facilities and financial measures.
Superintendent Kent Myers explained a new state requirement prohibits students from using personal wireless devices from the first bell through dismissal. Elementary students will continue keeping phones in lockers.
At Wawasee Middle School, families who believe a student needs a device for transportation or after-school commitments must submit an agreement. Approved devices will be checked into the office each morning and retrieved after school. Violations will result in parent pickup of the device, loss of permission to bring the device and detention.
High school students may bring phones but must store them in lockers throughout the school day. Assistant Principal Hannah Pawlicki said the school tested the policy for one day last spring. The cafeteria was “way louder,” she said, but students generally handled the change well.
“The distraction that that causes in a learning environment is significant,” Myers said, adding the adjustment will affect staff, students and parents.
Athletic Director Brent Doty reviewed the year’s athletic accomplishments and introduced new Assistant Athletic Director Logan Weins, who will help align middle and high school programs.
The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with Ivy Tech Community College allowing Wawasee High School students to complete the 30-credit Indiana College Core entirely at the high school. Pawlicki said new dual-credit communications and psychology courses fill the remaining subject areas needed for the credential.
The Ivy Tech courses will be offered without tuition costs to students, she said. Completing the core can also help students qualify for the state’s Honors Plus Seal diploma.
“This is just an exciting opportunity for us to offer more opportunities to our students to earn valuable credentials and earn college credit without going into debt,” Pawlicki said.
Trustees approved replacing aging chiller systems serving Wawasee High School and Wawasee Middle School. Officials recommended installing two smaller chillers at each building rather than one large unit, providing backup capacity if one fails and greater efficiency during ordinary conditions.
The high school chiller has required repairs ranging from about $16,000 to $30,000 in recent years and failed again during graduation, officials said. The replacements will be paid through an existing bond, with equipment expected to have an approximately 20-week lead time.
During patron comments, one parent criticized what she described as a lack of transparency regarding administrative job descriptions and district-approved software, including questions about student data. Curt Hursey requested an update on the middle school pool and suggested an independent inspection before final project approval.
Myers said the pool project is nearing completion and the district is considering outside review as it works through remaining items. He also reported the middle school passed its fire inspections Tuesday, June 9. Work continues at the new Milford School, around the performing arts center and in former high school band and choir spaces being converted into classrooms and career and technical education areas.
Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod presented a one-time transfer of $325,109.67 from the debt service fund to the operations fund. He said the action addresses the retroactive effect of state legislation changing how supplemental homestead credits were allocated.
The board also approved 2026-27 meal prices. Elementary breakfast will cost $1.85 and lunch $3. Middle and high school breakfast will cost $1.90, while middle school lunch will cost $3.05 and high school lunch $3.10. Director of Operations Wade Wirebaugh said rising food and labor costs drove the increases.
Earlier, students demonstrated Lego robotics used during summer STEM camps that served about 70 children. Assistant Superintendent Michelle Walden also reported 92 students participated in a summer learning lab and 23 high school students earned more than 31 credits.
