Lincoln School district revisits new cell phone, digital device policy

In a special meeting last week, the Lincoln School Board revisited a change to the school's cell phone and digital device policy that went into effect this year and aligned the school's Technology Agreement with the high school handbook.

At the regular September meeting, Student Council President Carly Templeton brought forward concerns that the rule prohibiting such devices from classrooms had an adverse effect on the ability of some students, particularly seniors, to complete some classwork, and tasks such as job shadowing and filling out scholarship applications.

"We decided there was so much to discuss with personal devices and cell phones that we had to have a special board meeting," Lincoln School Superintendent Carla Anderson said.

The major issues discussed at the meeting involved discrepancies between the school handbooks, the technology agreement and the school board policy, and whether the cell phones and digital devices such as laptops and tablets should be lumped together under the same policy.

More than 20 High School students attended the meeting.

Under the high school handbook, personal devices were to be left in lockers unless specific permission to use them were granted by school personnel, and they were to be used strictly for educational purposes. However, the technology agreement signed by students stated that personal devices were not allowed in classrooms at all, while the elementary handbook and the school board policy simply allowed them at teacher discretion.

School board trustees conceded the discrepancies were an oversight when they made the decision to change the guidelines. At that time, much of the focus was on high school student cellphones due to abuses and incidents last year.

"We heard complaints from the faculty and others that there were cell phone abuses that were distracting to other individuals in the class, and the teachers were having problems enforcing the cell phone (policy) and were met with derogatory and offensive behavior when they tried to curtail all that," Trustee Scott Zarske said. He said the action the board took was aimed at establishing a learning environment without those distractions.

The school board listened and took feedback from both students and staff regarding the need for students to use them in certain instances. Several of the student's arguments for keeping their phones with them at all times dealt with "what ifs," and sometimes seemed to suggest that additional steps by teachers to keep track of which students had cell phones and to ensure appropriate cell phone usage was the key.

However, an effort last year to monitor phones by having students put them in a "cell phone spa" upon entering class proved ineffective, and staff members noted that teachers would have to use teaching time to verify whether students had phones on them.

Other arguments seemed more persuasive, particularly when it came to using them for the senior prep class, where communication and access to information on phones plays a more significant role.

Teacher Laura Allen Bullis said part of the senior prep course is honing communication skills to better prepare students who will be heading off into the world.

"During my class period is when I like to actually witness them with communication skills, on the phone talking to somebody because it's something they are very uncomfortable with."

M'liss Weisner expressed a different opinion than her fellow school board member, saying felt access to cell phones was often important for kids as well as for parents. She pointed out that during incidents like the bomb threat several years ago, she would prefer to see kids have access to them, and she suggested that high school might be a better time for kids to learn how to appropriately use their devices.

Although there was some concern about calls and texts causing distractions, the main concern revolved around games and inappropriate social media use during class, and on school busses.

"Those wonderful snapchats that we haven't caught on about yet, at all," Anderson said. "You guys have even been snapchatting this year, since it been a rule not to have a phone. So, then it becomes hard for the board to get real sympathetic and work with you."

Nevertheless, the school board approved, in a 4-1 split vote, to change the technology agreement to align with the High School Handbook and allow students to use cellphones for educational purposes at teacher discretion. They opted not to change the requirement that cell phones be stored in lockers when not in use, which prompted Weisner, who preferred controlling use but allowing students easier access, to oppose the motion.

On the advice of elementary teachers, the school board also changed the K-6 cell phone policy. With Chromebooks available for students on an almost one-to-one basis, and no demonstrable need for elementary students to have cell phones, they opted to prohibit them for those grades.

Case by case exemptions

to the policies remain for

special situations or circumstances.

The school board also created a separate policy for personal digital devices such as laptops and tablets. The case for access to those devices for educational purposes proved to be more compelling than for cell phones, and the teachers at the meeting said they have fewer issues with monitoring them for appropriate use.

The board made personal devices a separate paragraph in the handbook to alleviate confusion. They chose to keep the same 'teacher discretion/educational purposes' standard as with cell phones, but since laptops and tablets are less likely to be used surreptitiously, they removed the requirement that those devices be left in lockers when not in use.

The meeting also included a brief discussion about cellphones on buses during field trips and game trips.

While the school board members appreciated, the students desire to listen to music on long trips, they explained that the cameras on the phones are the big concern. Inappropriate images taken on buses during such trips have led to lawsuits in other places, and neither the school board nor the staff was comfortable with taking the chance, regardless of how much trust they may have in the students.

"It's a huge liability," School Board President Aaron Birkholz said.

The board opted to stick with the existing policy to allow music devices, but not cell phones or anything with a camera. The policy, which allows students to use cell phones at the front of the bus under proper supervision, has been in place for some time, but Birkholz said it had not been not strictly enforced.