Cell phone spa, cell phone jail, cell phone parking lot. Students dread the moment teachers call for devices to be “parked” on the wall.
While this year’s cell phone policies may feel more extreme than in previous years, these rules are nothing in comparison to a larger national trend.
According to EducationWeek, just under half of the United States have issued a complete ban on cell phones at school, including at the high school level.
“Social media is having an impact on mental health with increased social media use,” Nicole Rajpal, president of the Boulder Valley School District Board and Education, said. “We’re having increased instances of negative mental health outcomes due to cyberbullying and cyber harassment, and personal technology devices plays into that.”
With issues from social media and phone access on the rise, the BVSD Board of Education recognizes that there must be a change in policy.
“It has been brought up that a potential change will take place where high school students don’t have access for the entirety of the school day,” Rajpal said.
With little to no access, the district hopes to restrict cell phone usage within the school, limiting distractions during class time.
“In places where cell phones have been limited, they do see increased social interaction, more conversations amongst peers. They’re not as distracted. They can focus,” Rajpaul said. “Teachers aren’t asking kids to put their phones away all the time.”
While BVSD is trying to prohibit cell phones in school, they also recognize the concerns around safety and contact issues.
“Unfortunately, we live in a society where there are actual instances of emergency situations and attacks on schools, and that comes up a lot as well in articles–that sense of safety that devices provide,” Rajpal said. “Why parents and why students want access to devices is not necessarily based on evidence, but on personal opinions or personal feelings around safety.”
Although the district doesn’t have a direct plan for the change to cell phone usage, “the board’s majority is signaling that they would like the change to be implemented in the second semester,” Rajpal said.
