HOOKSETT — While tempers have flared locally between school board members over issues about implementing a Bring Your Own Device program, the policy was approved without controversy in the neighboring towns that comprise SAU 15.

Dr. Charles “Phil” Littlefield, superintendent for the Hooksett, Auburn and Candia school districts, said that each of the towns in his school administrative unit voted to implement their own BYOD policies for the upcoming school year, after participating in pilot programs allowing some students to take their personal electronic devices into the classrooms for educational purposes.

Littlefield said the policy requires no change in curriculum, but allows students to use electronics they possess as individual tools to augment their learning.

“We initially had some parents request if their youngster could, say, bring his iPad to school and use it as an assignment book,” he said. “At the time, our policy didn't allow that.”

In Hooksett, BYOD was put in place in a 3-2 vote. Board member David Pearl has since called for Chairman Dana Argo to resign, arguing that the vote was done under a misleading agenda item and did not give the chance for community members to weigh in at an agreed-upon public forum.

Argo maintains that the vote was valid and that the public forum will take place before the program's launch. He has repeatedly said that the only negative response he has heard to the program has come from Pearl.

This week, the board voted to have its policy committee work on further developing BYOD.

“There hasn't been that much discussion of it in other school districts,” Littlefield said. “It's simply a policy by which youngsters can bring their own device. That's all the program is. I don't even want to call it a program.”

At its June meeting, the Auburn School Board unanimously approved a recommendation of its BYOD committee to open the program up to all students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades at the Auburn Village School. BYOD was piloted this past school year with only sixth-grade students.

School Board Chairwoman Kathleen Porter said teachers and students both responded favorably to the initiative.

“They're trying to find their groove with it now and see where it goes,” she said. “They're digital natives.”

Porter said no major problems arose out of the pilot, though in some cases teachers did need to repeatedly ask students to not use their devices for non-educational purposes, like playing games.

“It's just typical middle school discipline issues,” she said. “We surveyed the kids, and the kids were actually disappointed in other kids who were taking advantage of it.”

The Candia School Board also approved the program at its June meeting. BYOD was one of several items unanimously approved as part of a policy packet.

School Board Chairwoman Deb LeBlond was not available to comment.

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Katie Lannan may be reached at klannan@newstote.com.