In a presentation by SMMUSD Director of Student Services Dr. Frank Dussan, the SMMUSD board discussed the proposed updates on mobile communication devices, using language recommended by the California School Boards Association and the implementation of an "Away for the Day" policy when it comes to phones.
Broken down into a board policy and administrative regulations on the matter, the board policy authorizes the district to limit or prohibit student use of smartphones at school, with exceptions for circumstances like emergencies. The administrative regulations touch on how this policy will be implemented districtwide, instead of each campus making its own decisions.
The implementation of "Away for the Day" would require elementary school students to secure and stow away devices in a personal carry bag or container assigned to them for the duration of a school day. For middle school, the securing of devices may either be done through a personal bag or container assigned to each student, or through a container assigned by a teacher for each classroom.
Middle school regulations have multiple options due to the district potentially taking part in a research study that would give SMMUSD the funds to afford a personal carry bag or container for each middle school student. If the funds do not come through, the district has the flexibility to keep the classroom storage containers as an action.
Several public commenters noted that student containers could be a phone pouch lock from brands like Yondr, which can be locked at the beginning of the school day and unlocked upon exit. SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton stated that keeping the two options for middle school storage in the administrative regulations maintains future control over the implementation.
"Until we get to the point where we’ll be able to get the bags, we have to start somewhere," Shelton said. "If we don’t start, we won’t get this thing done at all. So the first piece of this, we have to have both of these [options] to work toward the ultimate thing, which is having the phone ultimately in a bag, that we then figure out the purchase process [for]. Then the kid could keep the bag in the pouch until the end of the day."
Another option is to bring an administrative regulation to the board with only the classroom storage option involved, then bring a future regulation to the board based on the personal phone pouch option if the district secures funding. Having storage be done class-to-class brought up some concern of students still using a device between periods, but SMMUSD Board Vice President Jon Kean stated that the detail shouldn’t be the ultimate hold up on the policy and regulation.
"[The] board is going to make a decision that says you know what, if you are in K-8, your phone is away for the day, it’s away," Kean said. "We’re making a commitment to that … if [they’re] going back and forth between class, there will be a desire to turn it on, [but] I’m not going to let that get in the way of a policy that’s going to get us something. Whatever we end up with, we end up with … even if you have to take [a device] from one class to the other, it may not be ideal, [but we’ll get there. I don’t want to get bogged down in how [we’re] going to do that."
Proposed progressive discipline in the regulations state that a student’s mobile communication device will be confiscated and will be logged for a first offense, with a parent or guardian required to retrieve the device. A second offense is the same, plus a student would stow and secure a device each day in a location determined by a principal. A third offense adds the option for site administration to bar a student from bringing a device to school for a set amount of time.
With regulations proposed for elementary and middle school students, questions arose about a proposal for high school students, in which Dussan said he is still working with stakeholders to craft a high school-specific "Away for the Day" implementation. A survey was sent to Samohi teachers and students on the matter, with 687 responses in total.
"We have more students, different dynamics, different developmental ages, so I’m not
recommending anything yet until I meet with the principals and I get more feedback from them," Dussan said.
The board’s student representative, Samohi student Haley Castanza, stated that one thing a high school regulation will have to work out is phone use during official activities, such as her position on Samohi’s ASB (student council). Still, Castanza offered her support to the proposed policy, especially for lower grades.
"You’re so young, and you’re still developing, it’s really important to have the phones away so you can develop social interactions, because that’s when your mind’s developing and you’re making those strong connections you need for the rest of school," Castanza said.
A group that has been voicing their concerns all year has been Parents for Slow Tech, which thanked the board for putting the smartphone matter on the agenda, but clarified that they also desire a high school regulation.
"Keep in mind that this year’s middle schooler is next year’s high schooler, and if we create a policy and the kids who are currently in elementary then move on to middle school and [to] high school and then the policy is completely different, and now the phones are available all the time, I think that would be really detrimental to the work and effort that’s going into implementing these changes," Parents for Slow Tech’s Laura Kachergus said.
The board policy will return for action at the SMMUSD board’s November 21 meeting, while the administrative regulation will return as an informational item during the same session.
thomas@smdp.com
