SPOKANE, Wash – Students heading back to high school in the Mead School District will have to get used to keeping their phones out of sight during class, as the district restricts the use of cell phones in class.
Mead School District is changing the policy for high school students, saying that classrooms will be cell-phone free. That’s already the policy for elementary and middle school students.
In its discussion of the policy change earlier this summer, the school board cited a Healthy Youth Survey that says “50% of 10th graders shared that they believe their internet and screen time use is a problem.”
In that study, 58% of 10th grade girls in Spokane County said they thought internet and screen time was a problem for them, compared to 35% of boys.
In a letter sent home to high school parents this month, the district said teachers and administrators will “universally enforce a ‘distraction-free’ classroom environment.”
This means students can’t use phones, earbuds/headphones and any other forms of wearable technology in class during the school day.
The policy says phone must be in silent mode at school and smartwatches should be in airplane mode.
The first and second time a student is caught breaking the rule, their phone will be confiscated and delivered to the office. The school will notify a parent or guardian. Students can pick up devices at the end of the day.
For a third offense, the parent or guardian will have to meet with an administrator and the student will receive a disciplinary consequence.
The district is asking parents to help with this change, saying their support is crucial to making this initiative a success.
“This is the right thing for our young people,” wrote Superintendent Travis Hanson.
Spokane Schools is planning a similar policy that would go into effect this fall, in which elementary and middle school students couldn’t use their phones at all during the day and high school students could only use them during lunch and passing periods.
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