IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Iowa City Community School District Board approved on Tuesday new restrictions for cell phone use in the classroom that will take effect next month.
School leaders say the proposed policy doesn’t allow cell phones and headphones in class, and phones cannot be used, heard, or seen from the late bell to the end of class.
Devices would need to be kept in a bag or in lockers, and students can only use them at lunch and between classes.
Some City High School students say a new policy isn’t needed, arguing the district should enforce the current rules that they say some teachers aren’t following, such as putting devices in storage if kids are caught using them.
“I’m not going on my phone in class. I want to learn, I go there to learn, I want to get the most out of my day,” City High School senior Ania Naso said. “Obviously, it’s a distraction to learning, so if they just said, ‘put it on the wall,’ or if they took the phone themselves and put it on the wall, that’ll be a lot easier and put a lot less pressure on administration.”
Policy documents say at the start of each class after the late bell, teachers will say, “Your devices should be secured.”
If a student is caught using their phone, if their phone goes off, or if it is seen, school staff will report the student to the school’s help email.
Then, school leadership will take the device from the student, and the phone will be kept in the office for the school day.
The consequences of the new policy depend on the number of violations, but there are exceptions for health reasons and admin-approved teacher lesson plans. After four or more violations, the school will get students’ families involved.
Some board directors say this could be the beginning of a total ban in the future, since cell phones can interfere with the entire school experience.
“To me personally, it’s not just about protecting instruction time, but the experience from bell to bell, that our students have when they walk into the school doors,” School Board Director Lisa Williams said.
But students say their peers will still get distracted, with or without cell phones.
“We have Chromebooks. Every student has a Chromebook. All it will do is shift the focus away from phones and onto Chromebooks and other things that can easily distract students,” City High School senior Nicholas Tran said. “It’s impossible to make everybody pay attention in class.”
Governor Kim Reynolds is considering legislation for a statewide school cell phone ban, but some are worried about the unintended consequences if students can’t get to their phones in an emergency.
“It’s terrifying to think that I wouldn’t be able to contact my mom or my sister in an emergency,” Naso said. “As a high school student, I don’t have very much influence. But I know for a fact that I need to advocate for myself. I’m gonna make sure that I’m heard.”
The new policy goes into effect late January. In the meantime, the district is planning to bring students and families up to speed on the new rules.
