A draft cell phone policy would prohibit Lawrence school district students from using their phones during school hours, but some exceptions are included and discipline is not a focus of the policy.

The Board Policy Committee, which includes school board members Kelly Jones, Anne Costello and Shannon Kimball, oversees district policies. Committee members met with administrators Tuesday and agreed to move forward with a draft that says personal cell phones and other personal electronic devices, including smart watches, tablets, e-readers and more, must be “turned off and stored out of sight at all times during school hours.”

The policy would apply to “all students, staff, and visitors on school premises during school hours and during school-related activities.” If the school board approves, the policy will be implemented in January.

Elementary and middle school students are already prohibited from having their cell phones out during school. The current cell phone policy for Lawrence and Free State high schools says students are allowed to use their cell phones before school, after school and during lunch, but not during classes or passing periods between classes.

Under the committee’s draft, students would no longer be allowed to use their phones at all during school hours without special permission. That includes in restrooms and locker rooms “to ensure privacy and safety,” according to the draft.

During field trips, extracurriculars or other school-related activities outside of class, supervising staff members would set the guidelines for cell phone usage, according to the draft.

Exceptions listed in the draft include for students with documented medical needs and students with individualized education plan (IEP) accommodations. The draft also mentions emergencies: “In the event of an emergency, students are encouraged to follow instructions from school staff. Cell phones may be used to communicate with emergency services or family members as directed,” the draft states.

No lock and key

A group of more than 80 Lawrence educators submitted a petition to the school board at the end of last school year requesting a strict policy. Teachers who spoke to the board in June said cell phone usage in their classrooms has become a crisis, and having to use their discretion can cause conflict with students and take away from instructional time.

The Kansas State Board of Education is currently working on recommendations to help guide local school boards but has said it will not enforce statewide restrictions.

A KSBE advisory group voted in October to recommend school districts enforce total cell phone bans and to recommend that students store personal devices “in a secure location that is not accessible to them during the school day,” Kansas News Service reported.

The teachers’ petition had asked that USD 497 require phones to be stored from the first bell until the last bell of the day. The Lawrence school district policy would not require that under the current draft.

Lawrence is not considering getting locked boxes for phones, Interim Superintendent Jeanice Swift confirmed, but the district may potentially purchase unlocked plastic pouches so phones could be hung up in classrooms, or consider other options for interested teachers. Those would not be required in all classrooms.

Kimball said the policy committee has been working to create a districtwide policy since the spring semester as cell phone usage in schools has been a recent hot topic statewide and nationally. The petition from teachers prompted the committee to further develop the draft.

“We have, I think, crafted a policy that is very responsive to the feedback and needs of our community,” Kimball said.

Consequences TBD

Swift said consequences for breaking the tentative policy won’t be black and white. It’s not clear in the draft what specific actions teachers should take if students don’t comply.

That’s because the goal is to empower students to change their behaviors as opposed to enforcing a set consequence for them, Swift said. The three board members agreed.

Swift also said the district is considering adapting the policy as the spring semester progresses. For example, she said, high school students may learn to manage their device usage so that they can potentially use them to coordinate their athletics or work schedules during the school day, if necessary. 

“We really are, this first semester, using more of a behavioral change adaptation process,” Swift said. “And so this is going to look a little different from, say, a violation of the code would look.”

“I personally prefer not to lay out the specifics of our consequence or discipline matrix and policy, simply because I think that that makes it cumbersome for administration to adjust as may become necessary,” Kimball said.

A cell phone “turned off” could also mean silenced, Swift said. The definition of “electronic devices” in board policy may expand to include other items, such as headphones and earbuds.

“All of the folks that we’ve talked to who’ve implemented say that in year one, really focusing on the phone is the right stuff,” Swift said. “And then in subsequent semesters, we can refine other devices. But I’m glad the policy says both.”

Swift said she and other administrators are set to meet with school principals on Thursday to get their feedback on the draft. She plans to have principals ask their buildings’ teachers if they’d be interested in using plastic pouches to store phones in their classrooms.

School board members will consider approving the policy draft and take public comment during their next meeting, which will start at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

Jones said the Board Policy Committee has a review process when it comes to new policies. If the cell phone policy implemented next semester isn’t working, the committee can consider changes at the conclusion of the academic year.

Swift said she will communicate with high school families about where the policy draft stands following fall break, which is next week.

Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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