LISD instituted a new policy this year, stating that students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade must silence their cell phones and put them away upon entering the building. Cell phones cannot be used throughout any point of the school day whether it is before or after school, during passing periods, classes, lunch or recess.
“The rule is phones are in bags from [the first bell] to the end of the day,” lead counselor at Killian Middle School Erin Goeke said. “It [used to be] teacher discretion for phone use in the classroom, and [students] were allowed to have them during passing periods in the hallways. There weren’t a lot of regulations on it.”
Creek Valley Middle School (CVMS) English teacher Leena John said her students have been more engaged in class this year and have been participating a lot more. Students have less time to be on social media applications, which, according to John, has reduced cyberbullying problems at CVMS.
“It’s also a safety issue,” John said. “In years past, a lot of kids would be silly out in the halls and record kids [and] teachers that have been posted online [and] kids were cyberbullying them without the teachers even knowing. It became too much; kids were too involved with their phones.”
The average age for when children sign up for a social media account is 12.6 years old. The average screen time for American children is three hours a day. With this new policy, students are required to go eight hours a day without their cell phones and social media.
“The point of taking it away is because of student engagement in class,” CVMS math teacher Kaylee Vernor said. “TikTok is a huge influence on everyone right now, especially in middle school. Kids would rather be on something that is stimulating, like TikTok, social media or listening to music rather than being engaged in the lesson.”
Vernor said that even though the engagement in classes is higher, she believes students should get their cell phones for a little bit at some point in the day. Students on average pick up their phone 51 times a day — though the number ranges from two times to 498 times, as 97% of teenagers use their phone during the school day.
“Some of my students that I had last year benefited from having that music; it helped them,” Vernor said. “I see them [now] and they seem kind of like ghosts, like they don’t know how to act without their phones. I want my students to have freedom and be able to do what they think is best for their learning.”
Seventh grader Soha George, who attends CVMS, said the policy affects people based on their personal phone usage. She said even though it hasn’t been the best thing for her, it has helped in certain ways.
“Sometimes there might be things going on in your family and [so] you want to know what’s going on,” George said. “[Not having] my phone helps me know more about other people. It’s good for some people because they’re always on their phone and they’re always getting in trouble. But music helped me focus more on my work instead of what my friends are saying.”
The high school phone policy states that cell phones must be silenced and put away during instructional times or as otherwise directed by campus staff. This includes all testing, unless the cell phones are being used for approved instructional purposes.
“[The policy] is making it so kids can finally learn without technology distractions [and] we’re communicating with each other better,” Goeke said. “I think it’s a great policy to implement on any educational campus.”
If a middle school parent needs to communicate with their child during the school day they can email them through their LISD email or contact the front office; elementary parents can contact the front office for their message to be delivered. If a student is caught with their cell phone out, there are different levels of consequences depending on the occurrence; at first it’s a warning, but it can escalate to lunch detention and in-school suspension.
“We want to make sure the focus at school is school, and the focus at home is home,” Goeke said. “The kids are here to learn and not worry about telling their mom what they made on their math test if they bombed it. [That] might be a better conversation that’s had around the dinner table versus having it through a text message.”
