What's New at Sartell-Stephen Schools for 2026

SARTELL (WJON News) -- Change is always taking place, and students in an area school district will have to manage a big change when classes start. Sartell-St. Stephen students, teachers, and staff will have a new communications policy in place for personal electronic devices like cell phones and tablets.

Superintendent Michael Rivard says the new policy will be a big adjustment for everyone:

"We know that'll be a challenge for some students because we've all become pretty reliant on our phones and other personal electronic communication devices but we're hoping that this change will have a positive impact on learning, which is what's the most important thing, and just an overall school experience for our students that's truly positive all day."

He says the expectation is that phones will be turned off and left in lockers for the entire school day.

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Rivard says the Riverview HVAC project continues to move along, and they plan to have students in the building when classes start:

"We get into some of those testing of the air handling system, making sure that the state inspectors come in and that the building's ready to go for all of our emergency alert systems too so that when our students walk in they're coming in to not only a great learning environment but an improved learning environment."

The Riverview HVAC Project will wrap up next summer. Sartell-St. Stephen Schools start on September 8th.

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