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.
“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.
Danielle Harteau, who teaches Freshmen Studies at Canyon Springs High School, was part of the pilot program last school year.
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.”
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.
“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.
Go deeper: Get more information about this policy, including a video and research that supports the use of non-locking, signal-blocking pouches.
