For the 2024-25 school year, there is a joint effort with other schools across the district to increase learning and engagement during class time by limiting students’ access to cell phones during school hours.
Student Expectations
Students may possess personal electronic devices at school; however, they must be turned off and stored in their locker from arrival to dismissal. Cell phones/personal electronic devices may not be used during the school day. Failure to comply with this policy will result in the item being confiscated. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen electronic devices. Smartwatches or any other devices used for texting or that become a distraction to student learning will be subject to the same consequences.
Consequences
1st offense: The device is confiscated, and the student may pick it up in the front office at the end of the day (Warning).
2nd Offense: The device is confiscated, and the parent will be required to pick it up in the front office during regular school office hours.
3rd Offense: The device is confiscated, and the parent must meet with an administrator to discuss consequences and/or make a plan before it can be taken home.
If your electronic device and/or electronic communication cause a substantial disruption to the learning environment and/or jeopardize student safety, it may result in a complete loss of device access at school, in addition to any disciplinary action for involvement. Inciting, filming, and sharing fights and cyberbullying will not be tolerated.
Parents or guardians who need to get information to their student during the school day may call the office.
Rationale:
Even though cell phones play an important role in modern society, they can be detrimental to students’ education. Below are some of the drawbacks in an educational setting along with links to additional information.
Poor academic performance: The addiction to their phones leads to poor academic performance. Students fail to pay attention while studying, their memory suffers, and their mind suffers from dullness and lethargy.
Smart Phone, Bad Grades?
Lack of focus: The virtual world that students view on their mobile phones is highly distracting. Students find it fascinating and spend hours lost in it. It can be misleading, confusing, and distracts them from their studies. Students’ academic performance tends to suffer badly.
The Negative Effects of Smartphones on Students
Anxiety: The wide array of video games and other applications not only disturb them but also cause anxiety in students. Students suffer from headaches and migraines due to constant phone usage, which further leads to anxiety and depression.
Frequent Cell Phone use Linked to Anxiety
Cyberbullying: Students often lack the maturity and the presence of mind to deal with cybercrimes or cyberbullying. They can fall prey to the negative elements present in the virtual world and suffer from anxiety and depression, besides low self-esteem due to the psychological bullying they might suffer at the hands of the cyberbullies.
Cyberbullying and Cell Phone Policy in U.S. Primary and Secondary Schools
Isolation and poor social interactions: Students who prefer spending time on their cell phones often lose themselves in the virtual world. Social maturation suffers and can cause serious mental health concerns.
How Smartphones are Contributing to the Loneliness Epidemic
Ethical Concerns: There is a lot of inappropriate content on the internet. Students, who are too young to differentiate between fact and fiction, find this mesmerizing and risk getting misled. The pull of the virtual world is so strong, that it increases social disturbance and raises many ethical concerns.
Ethics and Technology: Cell Phones
Accidents: The addiction to mobile phones is so strong that kids seldom let go of their phones, even while walking on the street, crossing the road, or worse yet, driving. This increases the possibility of being involved in an accident.
Cell Phones: The Most Dangerous Thing on the Road
Loss of sleep: Spending too much time on their phones disturbs students’ sleep. The radiations being emitted by mobile phones tend to disturb the natural sleep pattern and cause sleeplessness and the blue light emitted by the phones keeps the brain awake and alert even at night.
How Teenage Phone Use is Affecting Their Sleep
Vision Problems: Constant staring at mobile phones affects eyesight and eye health. Eyes tend to get dry and the vision blurry. The eyesight gets affected, too, and kids have difficulty reading. Using phones day and night ruins eye health and the repercussions last a lifetime. This is one of the worst negative effects of mobile phones.
The Impact of Smartphones on Children's Vision
Bad posture: Staring at phone screens for prolonged periods, with heads bent and shoulders drooped leads to bad posture, neck ache, headache, backache, and tendonitis.
Can Too Much Screen Time Affect Your Kid's Posture?
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