Participants in two one-hour panel discussions Tuesday had generally positive reviews for the rules that Johnson County schools recently implemented limiting cell phone use during class time. Although the new policies aren’t perfect, they have improved daily life for both students and teachers, the panelists said.
The question now is, how far should those policies go in their restrictions?
Eight panelists, including teachers, students, a parent and the director of the county mental health department, shared their thoughts about cell phone policies in a town hall hosted by the Johnson County Post.
School districts throughout the country have struggled with how to regulate cell phone use, which has become a widely acknowledged source of distraction during the school day.
Several districts, including most recently Shawnee Mission and Olathe, have set limits on when students can have phones out, along with disciplinary measures for violations.
Panelist Jill Johnson, a Shawnee Mission East High School teacher, said a cell phone caddy that hangs on her closet door has made a positive difference in her classroom. Staff also appreciate that they have support from the administration to address cell phone use, she said.
“It’s not perfect. Kids are still on their cell phones during class at times. Kids are still on their cell phones in the hallways. It’s a work in progress, but I think it’s a good first step,” she said.
Don Branham, an Olathe middle school teacher, said students at his school keep their phones in backpacks or their pockets. The policy has met with generally good cooperation from the students so far, he said.
Before the districtwide policy went into effect this year, he said, teachers came up with their own rules, perhaps allowing phone use during study time if a student was up to date on classwork.
“But it was a difficult way to deal with it because it was almost impossible to be consistent,” he said.
Olathe’s policy lays out consequences as well, he said. For instance students at his school may be required to drop their phones off at the office all day for 10 days if they repeatedly violate the rules, he said. So far very few students have gone that route.
Phone restrictions also cut down on fights
One notable positive outcome from the new rules has been fewer fights, the teacher and student panelists said.
When phone use at school was more ubiquitous, students sometimes got into arguments via text and arranged to meet and have it out. That hasn’t happened so much with phones out of use more of the time, they said.
Three student panelists also said their school lives were improved by the rules.
Shawnee Mission’s policy has only been in effect since February, but has been effective, said Avni Bansal, a Shawnee Mission East sophomore.
She said that before the policy, people were on their phones during class time, “which was rude to the teachers and ourselves.”
She acknowledged her own tendency to be easily distracted, saying “I was guilty of being on my phone during class time.”
Asher Bowyer, a senior at Gardner Edgerton High School, said there was pushback at first when the new policy took effect at the beginning of the school year in that district, but the rules have been successful.
“There’s a lot more interaction in the classroom now. Teachers seem like they actually are enjoying their jobs a little bit more because there’s less disciplinary action,” he said.
Bell-to-bell versus a less restrictive approach
One panelist, Kim Whitman, co-founded the Phone-Free Schools Movement advocating for rules that require students to lock their phones away from the beginning of school to the final bell.
The “bell-to-bell” policy is simpler to enforce and ensures students socialize with each other rather than spending free time on phones, she said.
Many school districts in Johnson County require phones to be put away during class but allow them during passing periods and at lunch in high school.
Those types of policies are “weak,” and cumbersome because teachers still have to be constantly watching for phone use, Whitman said.
Cell phone distraction is hard enough for adults, but “here we are expecting children whose brains aren’t developed to have that control,” she said.
“We have to remember that school isn’t just about academics,” she said. “This is a unique time when hundreds of students are together for seven hours a day, and that’s where they develop their sense of belonging, their friendships, their community and other skills. The in-between times, passing periods and lunch are essential for that.”
Chris Huff, a Shawnee Mission parent with an elementary school-aged child, said he’d prefer to see schools helping students learn how to handle phones and personal technology responsibly to be better prepared for real life.
Huff said he is skeptical of the benefits of pushing a “bell-to-bell” ban. Distractions existed before personal tech entered the classroom, he added. Technology that the school provides for educational purposes also needs governance, he said.
“I would say it is nigh on impossible to realistically control your child’s technology. They will find a way to do what they want to do,” he said. “Rather than try to block them or control them, how do we best support them to navigate the world they exist in now so they can make smart decisions for themselves.”
The three student panelists were also wary of bell-to-bell policies.
Bansal acknowledged students focus better when phones are not in their possession. “But I feel like there has to be some sort of control students still have,” rather than setting up an adversarial relationship between students and the district, she said.
Evyn Haas, a Shawnee Mission South High School senior, advised school districts to put a culture in place first that doesn’t center smartphones.
Bowyer, the Gardner Edgerton student, said more is gained by working with students on a phone policy.
“If you work with us, we’ll work with you, is how I see it. I feel like lunch time is acceptable [to allow phones]. It’s your free time. The teachers have their fun during lunch break, I feel like the students should, too,” he said.
Intersecting with COVID and mental health
The three student panelists said the school interruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on their cell phone use and mental attitudes.
Evyn Haas, a senior at Shawnee Mission South, said schools shut down for COVID shortly after she got her first smartphone. She found herself on her phone a lot more then, and had to wean herself from it once back in school, she said.
Asher also reported being sucked in by his phone during COVID. “Just using it so much, I think I was really depressed. And being inside so much I think it contributed to seeing all these people that were living and I was stuck in my house,” he said.
Bansal also reported negative repercussions from reading Snapchat or Instagram stories shared with a select few friends, which amounted to talking behind people’s backs, she said.
Tim DeWeese, director of the Johnson County Mental Health Center, said the most troubling mental health issues can be amplified by social media and smartphone use.
He said mental health professionals at the department talk with parents about introducing tech to children and how to gradually encourage balance in the way they are used.
“We’re talking about developing real authentic human relationships. In the pandemic, we kind of lost some of that capability as human beings,” he said, adding that it’s important to focus on relationships with teachers, coaches, friends and neighbors. “Having those actual relationships is going to be far more health producing than those relationships via the phone or apps.”
Some advice
The participants offered a little advice about smartphone use, school rules and kids.
- DeWeese emphasized moderation and gradual introduction of technology. Overuse and the constant notifications can be exhausting and increase depression, anxiety and isolation. “A lot of that has to do with we just have some really tired kids,” he said.
- DeWeese also advised phones not be used in bedrooms and bathrooms.
- Haas and Bansal agreed parents should hold off as long as possible before giving a phone to kids, if at all.
- Bowyer said he’s grateful his parents allowed him some tech use but still set limits. “It’s all about how you administer it,” he said.
- Parents should be diplomatic and open to dialogue and not overreact when talking to their kids about phone use, DeWeese said. He also advised parents to demonstrate healthy tech habits.
From the Post team:
Thank you all to the panelists, the Johnson County Library and Lively KC for engaging with us for productive dialogue. And thank you to our subscribers for making this happen!
Have an idea for a topic at a future town hall? Email us at stories@johnsoncountypost.com.
