A district survey previously found 85% of teachers and parents support a no-cellphone policy. Now, district students are prohibited from using cellphones at all times during school hours unless a phone is needed to monitor or address health concerns or for things like translation.
The policy is a result of months of conversations between the district and Park City parents. Many parents advocated for the ban and organized two panel discussions on managing devices in school and the negative effects of social media.
The ban is meant to help students focus on learning and fully engage with their classmates and teachers during the school day. According to the policy, students must store their devices in a secure place out of sight.
Superintendent Jill Gildea said during the board meeting Tuesday that sixth and seventh graders will have to keep their phones in their backpacks. Eighth and ninth graders are piloting magnetically locked pouches. The pouch will stay with the student in their backpack at all times.
Gildea said if there was a real emergency, the pouches could be easily cut open as they’re made of cloth.
“The idea is, it's not a temptation,” she said. “That you aren't as, you know, triggered to look at it.”
Gildea said the cellphone ban will be teacher-guided at Park City High School as teachers already have systems in place.
“They've got the shoe pouches, they've got different things they want the kids to have the cell phone for,” she said. “So it will be teacher-directed, but most of the time we would like to see it away. We really want to give kids that chance to not have to be so connected.”
Students who violate the no-cellphone policy will face progressively serious consequences. First, they’ll get a verbal warning to put their phone away.
If a student still struggles to keep their phone out of sight, a teacher will take the phone and store it in the office. The student would have to pick the device up at the end of the day or the teacher might require a parent or guardian to retrieve the phone. Finally, teachers or administration will schedule a conference with the student’s parent or guardian to discuss the student’s cellphone use.
