Middle and high school students are setting aside their cell phones during classroom instruction under a new policy this school year.
Cellular devices of students in secondary school will be held in a non-locking, signal-blocking pouch in a safe location within classrooms and accessible in the event of an emergency.
CCSD leadership is confident the change – which educators and school administrators encouraged – will create a more focused learning environment.
The benefits of using a non-locking, signal-blocking pouch within the classroom, CCSD officials said, will assist students with academic learning, including minimizing distractions, promoting responsible device use, and ensuring a fair and safe learning environment.
What they’re saying: “Every minute of instruction is important for student learning, and studies clearly show that cell phones distract students,” CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell said.
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“Ten schools piloted the cell phone pouches last year with success leading us to expand the program to all our secondary schools,” Dr. Larsen-Mitchell said.
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Danielle Harteau, who teaches Freshmen Studies at Canyon Springs High School, was part of the pilot program last school year.
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Harteau said it took a few weeks for students to adjust, but the pouches worked well. “There was more engagement in the classroom,” she said. “We really loved it.”
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Duane Bickmore, principal of Arbor View High School, said after two days of its pilot project last school year, there weren’t any complaints about the new cell phone pouch policy.
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“So many teachers and students talked about the different distractions that had disappeared,” Bickmore said, adding it was a big contributing factor to better student academic performance.
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Go deeper: Get more information about this policy, including a video and research that supports the use of non-locking, signal-blocking pouches.
