For the first time since 2012, the Wasatch County School District Board of Education reviewed the district's cellphone policy.
The board made minor changes to the policy at its meeting Tuesday so it complies with a state law passed in February. The law prohibits students from using cellphones and other technology during classroom hours, but allows districts to craft policies specific to the needs of individual schools.
According to the district’s policy, elementary students cannot have phones at school unless they have an approved exception, such as a medical reason.
Secondary students can have a device in their possession, but are not allowed to use it during class time.
If a student is caught with their phone out, a teacher will confiscate it for the rest of the class period. On a second offense, the phone is taken to the office and a parent must retrieve it. For a third offense, students lose cellphone privileges for a month and their parent must meet with an administrator. Further offenses may lead to suspension.
Board President Kim Dickerson noted the policy may change in the future.
“This is the beginning of our discussion,” she said. “We got together as a board for the first time, really, and talked about this during study session, and we can update, change, whatever we decide to do after we gather information, gather data, gather feedback.”
During their study session, board members had a preliminary discussion about what a future policy could look like.
Board member Breanne Dedrickson said she previously attended a presentation from The Policy Project, which advocated for the new law, about cellphone use. She said the organization shared data showing excessive screen time can lead to more anxiety in kids and be a distraction.
“The schools they talked about that had implemented stricter policies, we're seeing an increase in grades and in mental health well-being, and the research supported it was good for students,” Dedrickson said.
Board member Brad Ehlert was more resistant to using larger studies and wanted to focus on data from Wasatch County schools.
“With most research, you can get the research to say what you needed to say at the end of the research, if you structure it correctly,” he said.
Rocky Mountain and Timpanogos middle schools have conducted pilots where phones are put in boxes if they are seen out in class. Board members agreed it would be nice to hear from teachers if the method improved class behavior and made instruction easier.
Ehlert was also concerned that broader research doesn’t consider every child. But Dedrickson emphasized the district policy and state law allow for exceptions when students need their phones for medical or other reasons.
