How has the new cell phone law worked so far?

RECEIVED FROM SOME TEACHERS ARE LIKE, KIDS ARE ACTUALLY COMING IN AND INTRODUCING THEMSELVES TO EACH OTHER AND, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY HAD TO TAKE UP A NOTE BEING PASSED. HOW COOL IS THAT? SO OLD SCHOOL IS THE NEW STATEWIDE CELL PHONE BAN ALREADY HAVING AN IMPACT IN OUR SCHOOLS? ARE REPORTING LESS THAN A WEEK INTO THIS NEW SCHOOL YEAR. SUGGEST IT’S A REAL POSSIBILITY. AND TO TALK ABOUT THIS, WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A FANTASTIC EDUCATION PANEL TODAY. CHRISTIE VAN HORN IS WITH US. SHE’S THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SUPERVISION AND INSTRUCTION AT DEER CREEK PUBLIC SCHOOLS. JASON MACKEY HERE IS THE PRINCIPAL OF CRESCENT HIGH SCHOOL. AND ALSO, I MIGHT ADD, THE DRIVER FOR ONE OF OUR FIRST ALERT STORM CHASER TEAMS HERE AT KOCO, WHICH WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE. YOUR SERVICE THERE, JASON. AND STATE SENATOR ALI SEIFRIED OF CLAREMORE, THE VICE CHAIR OF THE SENATE EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE, WHO AUTHORED THE BELL TO BELL. NO CELL IN SCHOOL. BILL. THANK YOU, ALL THREE OF YOU, FOR BEING HERE. THANKS FOR HAVING US. WE’RE BARELY INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT WE’RE ALREADY HEARING SOME SOME REALLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK. AND CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG HERE ABOUT WHAT WE’VE SEEN SO FAR IN OUR SCHOOLS. THE EDUCATORS TELL YOU WHAT, JASON, THE PRINCIPAL, LET ME START WITH YOU RIGHT NOW, OKAY? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, THIS WAS A BIG CHANGE. TAKING CELL PHONES OUT OF THE HANDS OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO HAD BEEN USED TO HAVING A CELL PHONE WITH THEM. WHAT’S THE ROLLOUT BEEN? WELL, THE ROLLOUT HAS BEEN FANTASTIC. THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR HAS BEEN REALLY POSITIVE. OF COURSE, EVERY YEAR THAT’S WHAT WE SHOOT FOR IS A TO START OFF STRONG WITH A POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE. AND THIS HAS ALLOWED STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, REENGAGE IN THE CLASSROOM, START OFF THE YEAR STRONG AND IT’S BEEN REALLY GREAT SO FAR. IT REALLY HAS. YOU’VE ACTUALLY ALREADY SEEN YOU CAN TELL A DIFFERENCE. ABSOLUTELY. KIDS ARE INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER. TEACHERS RESPONSE IS THAT THEY’RE ABLE TO START CLASS AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT. TO START, THEY’RE GAINING 5 TO 10 MINUTES OF INSTRUCTION BACK DAILY. AND SO THEY’RE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE STUDENTS, ARE WORKING WITH EACH OTHER. THEY’RE INTERACTING AT LUNCH. IT’S BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY REALLY GREAT SO FAR. WELL THAT’S GREAT, CHRISTIE. THERE ARE DEER CREEK. I UNDERSTAND YOU’RE PROBABLY TALKING WITH TEACHERS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. WHAT ARE YOUR TEACHERS TELLING YOU ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE SEEING? OUR TEACHERS, LIKE JASON SAID, ARE JUST NOT SEEING DEVICES, HONESTLY. I MEAN, JUST HAVING A LAW BEHIND THIS. I MEAN, IT’S JUST IT MAKES IT REALLY CLEAR CUT. OUR KIDS SHOWED UP DAY ONE WITHOUT THEIR DEVICES OUT. THEY JUST KNEW. AND OUR ADMINISTRATORS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB TO ON DAY ONE, JUST ANNOUNCING, OKAY, IT’S TIME FOR SCHOOL TO START KIND OF TRAINING THE KIDS. EVERYBODY PUT THE DEVICES AWAY. WE PUSHED OUT A LOT OF INFORMATION OVER THE SUMMER TO PREP EVERYBODY FOR IT, AND SO THE NEWS COVERAGE WAS GREAT AS WELL. I MEAN, EVERYBODY JUST KNEW STATEWIDE THIS WAS COMING. IT WASN’T A UNIQUE SITUATION FOR ONE SCHOOL OR ONE DISTRICT OR ONE, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY. AND SO WE WERE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. AND SO JUST TRAINING THOSE KIDS AND THE FACT THAT THE TEACHERS JUST REALLY AREN’T HAVING TO DEAL WITH IT TOO MUCH, THEY ARE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THEIR LESSONS. SO IF I’M HEARING YOU RIGHT, HAVING THE LAW WRITTEN BY THE THE SENATOR HERE, THAT THAT ACTUALLY HELPED. YES. DO YOU THINK THAT CUT DOWN ON DISSENT AND GRUMBLES FROM FROM KIDS AND PARENTS. PROBABLY I’D SAY YES, YES, YES FOR SURE. I MEAN, BECAUSE IMMEDIATELY WHEN THE SUMMER, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE STARTED PUSHING OUT THINGS, WE GET A FEW REPLIES. I ACTUALLY HAD A STUDENT CALL ME IN MY OFFICE, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS FANTASTIC AND JUST, HEY, CAN WE STILL HAVE THEM OUT AT LUNCH? ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THIS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ADVOCATING FOR THE STUDENTS? AND I HAD SUCH A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH HIM. AND BUT I WAS ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, BUDDY, THIS IS THE LAW. I MEAN, THIS IS JUST LIKE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE LAW, WHETHER IT’S SPEEDING AND TOBACCO OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THIS IS A LAW. AND HERE’S THE WHY BEHIND IT AND HERE’S WHY THIS IS GOING TO BE A GOOD THING. AND THEY JUST OKAY. I MEAN, YOU JUST CAN’T ARGUE WITH THAT. YOU JUST CAN’T ARGUE WITH IT. ALL RIGHT. SENATOR STAFFORD, LET ME BRING YOU IN HERE. BECAUSE IS THIS KIND OF THE THING THAT YOU WERE HOPING TO HEAR? WERE YOU EVEN EXPECTING TO HEAR THIS TYPE OF FEEDBACK THIS EARLY? I KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I’VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR TWO YEARS. I ANTICIPATED AUGUST MAYBE BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE BUMPY FOR ME. SOME ANGRY PARENTS REACHING OUT. HAVE THERE BEEN? HONESTLY, NO, NOT NOT A SINGLE PARENT. TWO EMAILS ACROSS THE WHOLE STATE OF OKLAHOMA, BUT IT HAS BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE. I HAVE EVEN BEEN SURPRISED. I’VE BEEN EMOTIONAL A COUPLE OF TIMES BECAUSE I’VE SEEN FRIENDS WHO MAYBE DON’T KNOW THAT I AUTHORED THE BILL, BUT THEY POSTED ABOUT WHAT THEIR CHILD’S EXPERIENCE WAS LIKE, AND SO I GOT TO SEE IT FROM A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE. AND SO I’VE BEEN A LITTLE TEARY EYED ON MY COUCH ON SOCIAL MEDIA A COUPLE TIMES. AND FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN’T SUPER FAMILIAR, MAYBE YOU DON’T HAVE A KID IN SCHOOL OR YOU DON’T KNOW THE EXACT POLICY. IT’S NOT JUST NO CELL PHONES AND ALSO OTHER DEVICES LIKE LIKE AIRPODS AND SMART WATCHES AND STUFF LIKE THAT, WHICH I HAVE. THIS WOULD BE HARD TO PUT AWAY, BUT IT’S NOT JUST IN THE CLASSROOM SETTING. IT’S ALSO DURING THE PASSING PERIODS. IT’S ALSO DURING THE LUNCH TIME. IF THEY’RE ON CAMPUS, THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THESE DEVICES. AND I’M WONDERING IF THAT HAS BEEN A GAME CHANGER AS WELL. JASON. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I HAVE TALKED TO A COUPLE PRINCIPALS IN THE AREA. THEY’RE FROM A SAME SIZE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS MY OWN, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY SAW WAS THAT IT’S HELPED WITH TARDIES AS WELL, BECAUSE KIDS ARE NOT ON THEIR PHONES OR USING THEIR AIRPODS IN THE HALLWAYS. THEY’RE GOING DIRECTLY INTO THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO IN THE HALLWAY. SO THEY’RE JUST GOING INTO CLASS. HEAVEN FORBID THEY STOP AND TALK TO ONE ANOTHER. THEY’RE GOING RIGHT INTO CLASS, AND THEY’RE ENGAGING IN THEIR WORK, AND IT’S HELPED CUT BACK ON TARDIES AS WELL. SO AGAIN, YOU’RE ADDING TO INSTRUCTIONAL TIME. SO IF SOMETHING IS GOING TO HELP STUDENTS, IT’S BEING IN THE CLASSROOM. SO WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST HURDLE SO FAR WHEN IT’S COME TO AN ENFORCEMENT THING. BECAUSE I’M SURE IT HASN’T BEEN COMPLETELY SMOOTH AT THE SCHOOLS. THAT WOULD BE WE HAVE IN MY TOWN. WE HAVE HAD A FANTASTIC SUPPORT NOT ONLY FROM OUR COMMUNITY, BUT FROM THE STUDENTS AND FROM THE START OF THE ROLLOUT TESTING THIS, WE HAVE ONLY HAD FOUR TURNED IN SO FAR AND I EVEN WAS TALKING TO A FEW STUDENTS SAYING, HEY, ARE THEY GETTING REALLY GOOD AT SNEAKING THIS PAST ME? OR AM I NOT BEING AS GOOD AT MY JOB AS I THOUGHT I WAS? AND THEY SAID, NO, THEY’RE KEEPING THE PHONES UP. AND SO WE’VE ONLY CONFISCATED FOR TWO OF THEM WERE JUST BAD HABITS. THEY WERE JUST PULLING OUT OF THE POCKET, NOT EVEN USING THEM. IT WAS JUST WHAT THEY TYPICALLY DID. SO. SO AT CRESCENT, IF YOU SEE A CELL PHONE, DOES IT GO AWAY RIGHT AWAY? YES. SO WE WAITED UNTIL WE SAW SOME OF THE OTHER POLICIES GOING OUT BY THE OTHER SCHOOLS SO THAT WE COULD KIND OF THE SAME MESSAGE AND BACKING WITH THEM. SO WE DO TAKE THE CELL PHONES. IF THEY ARE OUT, WE TAKE THE CELL PHONES AND THEN IT WORKS DOWN THROUGH A DISCIPLINE SYSTEM AND INVOLVES PARENTS WHEN NEEDED. BUT WE HAVEN’T WE HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN PAST TO OUR FIRST OUR FIRST TAKE. WE HAVEN’T EVEN GONE TO A SECOND ONE YET, SO IT’S ONLY BEEN FOUR SO FAR. SO OKAY, IT’S BEEN GREAT. AND CHRISTY, WE WERE TALKING BEFORE THIS, I KNOW YOU SAID BECAUSE THIS IS JUST A ONE YEAR LAW. THE WAY THE WAY IT GOT PUT IN, IT ENDED UP BEING JUST A ONE YEAR LAW. AND I BELIEVE YOU SAID YOU’D LOVE TO SEE THIS BECOME MORE PERMANENT, RIGHT. SURE. I MEAN, IT HAS I MEAN, AS SOON AS WE KNEW THIS WAS COMING, WE IMMEDIATELY THIS SUMMER BROUGHT TEACHER LEADERS IN PRINCIPALS AND WE THOUGHT, OKAY, HOW HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE THIS WORK? HOW IS THIS GOING TO ROLL OUT OUR POLICY FOR OUR DISTRICT? WE ALREADY FOR MOST OF OUR STUDENTS, THE PHONES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE OFF AND OUT OF SIGHT, BUT WE KNEW THINGS LIKE PASSING PERIODS, LUNCH TIME FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL. THEY COULD HAVE THEM OUT DURING LUNCH FOR SURE. FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND FOR HIGH SCHOOL OBVIOUSLY. ALSO DURING PASSING PERIODS. SO WE THOUGHT, HOW ARE WE GOING TO HANDLE THAT? WHAT ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN DO TO EDUCATE OUR KIDS? HOW ARE WE GOING TO ENFORCE IT? WHAT’S GOING TO BE OUR RESPONSE? WE’RE KIND OF ANTICIPATING THE ISSUES THAT WE WOULD SEE. AND SO IT’S BEEN A LOT OF WORK. AND WE’VE ALSO IT’S INVOLVED RETRAINING. WE’VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH PARENTS. I MEAN, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT IS IS LARGE. AND SO WE HAVE CONFISCATED A FEW MORE THAN FOUR PHONES, BUT STILL NOT TOO MANY. AND MOST OF THE TIME IT’S JUST ONE THE FIRST OFFENDER AND THEY DON’T DO IT AGAIN. THEY’RE JUST CHECKING TO SEE HOW AM I GETTING HOME FOR THE DAY OR, YOU KNOW, JUST SOMETHING THAT’S HABITUAL. AND SO WE WE’VE, YOU KNOW, WORKED ON RETRAINING OUR KIDS. WE’VE GOT OUR PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS THAT ARE GETTING GAMES OUT, LUNCH. THEY’RE PLAYING UNO, THEY’RE PLAYING CARDS. I MEAN, THEY’RE THEY’RE HAVING OUR LUNCHROOMS ARE A LOT LOUDER THAN THEY USED TO BE. THAT’S GREAT. BUT IT’S A GOOD THING FOR SURE. SO WE’D HATE TO SEE THAT BE WALKED BACK. OKAY, WE’LL TELL YOU WHAT. WE’RE GOING TO TALK MORE. WE’RE WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK HERE FOR OUR PROGRAM. JUST SO YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS WEB EXTRA. WE HAVE AN EXTRA SEGMENT COMING UP. YOU CAN FIND THAT ONLINE ON KOCO.COM AS WELL AS OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. I JUST WANT TO THANK THE THREE OF YOU FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. AND I’M REA