Schools across the country are grappling with how to handle cell phones in schools. Jersey City’s schools are no different. And Monday evening, the Board of Education hosted a town hall to address if the Jersey City Public School district should revise its current policy and ban the use of phones on school property or during instructional time.
During the meeting, attendees heard the results of parent and student surveys on cell phone usage and potential policies, the experiences of two school principals surrounding pilots they are running restricting cell phones, input from law enforcement and legislative officials, and feedback from community members and district teachers.
Ultimately, the Board voted to approve a resolution that allows JCPS and the Board counsel to revise or draft a new policy on banning or limiting the use of cell phones and other electronic devices.
However, Board President Dejon Morris noted that “this will not be an expedited process.”
“We still have to put together a policy, then have a first and second reading, then take it to the Board for approval. It will take well into next year before a new policy is approved or implemented,” he said.
Of the 3,257 students that responded to the survey, 79% found cell phones distracting and only 25% said they had no negative effects associated with cell phone usage.
JCPS’s current policy states that students are not permitted to turn on or use cell phones while on school grounds, during the school day, or while the student is participating in sponsored curriculum activity.
Despite this policy, students, parents, and teachers still view cell phones as a distraction that affects school life.
According to the results of the parent survey, just 12% of the 977 parents surveyed said they didn’t find a negative effect of phone usage on their child. Looking at education, 27% said that cell phone usage positively impacted their student’s academic performance. Meanwhile, only 5% said that they didn’t find the use of phones distracting for their children.
Students actually agreed with their parents on this one. Of the 3,257 students that responded to the survey, 79% found cell phones distracting and only 25% said they had no negative effects associated with cell phone usage.
Teachers who spoke at the town hall shared similar sentiments—that cell phones have changed how kids engage in the classroom and with their peers at school. Generally, they said they would support the district in creating a new policy further limiting the use of phones in schools.
“As a homeroom teacher, I try to collect phones but don’t force my students to give them to me. And I can tell you that over time, they have become more defiant in handing them over,” said Jason Stuart, a teacher at MS 40. “I hope that we implement a new policy so that we can all be on the same page in regards to cell phones and so students know we are united in our efforts to free them from this device and be better academic students.”
The district has already been piloting two methods of keeping phones away from students during the school day. At President Barack Obama Community School, a pre-K-through-eighth-grade school, students put their phones away in lockable magnetic bags called Yondr pouches. And at Academy 1 Middle School, students exchange their phones for laptops in computer carts, then swap them back at the end of the day.
Monica Patel and Dr. Janeen Maniscalco, the principals of both these schools, shared their experiences with implementing the pilots in the classroom and their thoughts on the success of these programs.
So far, both principals said their experiences have been positive. “There was a learning process in the beginning,” said Maniscalco. “But we’ve found the pouches to be very effective and it’s given children their voices to socialize and interact.”
Board trustees agreed that they’d like to see these pilots implemented across the district, but that more discussion would be required over which program, or another alternative, would best meet the needs of the district.
Most trustees were in favor of the Yondr pouches because they allow students to keep their phones with them, but can only be accessed through a teacher unlocking the pouch. Whereas keeping phones in a computer cart could pose logistical issues, especially when there are subs in the classroom or if laptops need to be charged.
However, the pouches received pushback over potential costs. “Yondr pouches are $40. In a district of over 30,000 students, that would be over $1 million in costs. That is why many other districts haven’t implemented them,” Trustee Younass Barkouch noted.
Meanwhile, using the computer carts for storing phones would utilize resources already provided by the district to every school.
While there was a lot of support for further cell phone limits, one of the main points of concern brought up by parents was safety. Pointing to the situation at Uvalde Elementary School and other mass shooting events, parents want to be able to contact their child in case of an emergency.
JCPD West District Commander Captain Joseph Olszewski tried to address these concerns at the meeting. “The last time we had a mass shooting in Jersey City was in 2019 in the South District,” he explained. “One of the problems we had with it was kids texting their parents giving them wrong information. And then parents also came rushing to the scene and we were not able to control the situation.”
As a result, students were on lockdown within their schools for many hours with their parents surrounding areas where streets were blocked.
“By taking the phones away and letting the school—the principal, school, and security—handle the situation, it’s more cohesive. We don’t have mass panic,” Olszewski stated.
Fernandez added that the district has a system in place for these situations, and every school within the district practices drills every month to be prepared.
Olszewski explained that cell phones can also create more safety issues than they solve. The four issues he sees the most with phones in schools are fights (which are organized, recorded, and disseminated on phones), bullying, misinformation, and pornography.
While this was only the beginning of the conversation about a potential new cell phone policy for JCPS, the push to restrict students’ use of cellphones in class is gaining steam nationwide. As of September 2024, 15 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools statewide. And seven of the nation’s 20 largest school districts forbid use of cellphones during the school day.
Assemblywoman Barbara Stamato affirmed that she would be willing to help make the same happen in New Jersey. “I would like to sponsor legislation to ban cell phones in schools. I’d like to take direction from the Jersey City Board of Ed and make Jersey City leaders in this initiative,” she said.
