The penultimate regularly-scheduled meeting of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education in 2024 took a big step forward in its mobile communication policy.
At the Nov. 21 meeting, the board officially adopted its updated Board Policy for Mobile Communication Devices after elongated discussion on the topic. The policy uses language from the California School Boards Association, authorizing the district to limit or prohibit student use of smartphones while at school or while under the supervision of a district employee.
Exceptions to the rule include permission given by a teacher or administrator, direction by a student’s health care provider, or requirements under a student’s individualized education plan or Section 504 plan. Another exception is in the case of an emergency, which gave board member Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein pause, stating that he’s not in favor of students unable to reach cell phones in the event of danger.
The emergency debate was fueled by a Nov. 19 incident in which Santa Monica High School was placed on a brief lockdown from a threat of an active shooter, an event which was quickly noted as a false alarm. SMMUSD Director of Student Services Dr. Frank Dussan said that access to cell phones in emergencies is a “hot topic” amongst parents, adding that after attending an expert panel on the subject, he found via FBI findings that students having phones in a crisis may not be ideal for solving an issue.
“It causes miscommunication, it jams communications, and it gives up their locations,” Dussan said. “I’m continuing to give that message to parents to address that concern.”
In her public comment thanking the board for its unanimous approval of the policy, Parents For Slow Tech’s Laura Kachergus agreed with Dussan’s assessment, stating that student phone use during an emergency could draw an active shooter to their location.
“(The) event highlights the need for that thorough, solid communication plan,” Kachergus said. “I urge the board to realize that children with access to smartphones can’t stop a school shooting, but a clear, effective crisis plan can save lives.”
The policy still allows for students to access phones in the event of an emergency, with Dussan adding that the spirit of the policy is to have control over the situation, saying the district has the ability to let students know when they can contact their parents if needed.
Additional potential threats were brought up by public commenter Ericka Lesley, who was appalled at the recent string of racially-charged text messages sent to Black and Latino students, with one text implying that Black students have been signed up for slavery. Lesley added that there needs to be a “plan in place” to make sure students are safe under a “viable threat,” whether that be an active shooter or targeted racist messages.
“We need some culturally competent mental health services for our children, because some of them are traumatized,” Lesley added.
With the policy now approved, discussion will turn to Administrative Regulations, which have been discussed up through 8th grade, but have not included high school regulations as of yet.
Implementation of a phone policy on the high school level is something Los Angeles Unified School District will be dealing with come mid-February, as the nation’s second largest school district will ban cell phone use on campus during school hours. SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton said that the LAUSD policy is “way more restrictive” than the district’s, adding that their message has been “not consistent,” giving the district something to compare to in future discussions.
