Cell Phone Policy
Cell Phone Policy
Posted on 05/24/2024
SPS families, we engaged stakeholders through a community visioning session aimed at exploring the impacts of cell phones on student success. We all agreed that this is a complex issue, agreed that our goal is to maximize every student’s true potential, and came to the conclusion that despite their benefits, cell phones have overwhelmingly become a barrier to learning and student well-being. Based on these findings, we have decided to put the following procedure in place for the 2024-2025 school year. Our hope is that this procedure improves student well-being and student outcomes.


Student Cell Phones (including other cell phone-related devices like Apple Watches)

(1) Cell phones may be brought to school for before and after-school use.

(2) Cell phones may not be used during school hours. Students may only have a cell phone at school during school hours if it is turned off or silenced and kept in a locker.


Violations of this procedure will result in the following:

First Offense: Parent contact, the student's cell phone is placed in a secure location per building procedures, and the student will be assigned an after-school detention.

Second Offense: Parent meeting, 1-Day at the Viceroy (Suspension Avoidance) Program assigned.

Third Offense: Parent meeting, 3-Days at the Viceroy (Suspension Avoidance) Program assigned.

Self Reporting: A student who didn’t realize that they had their cell phone at school, and immediately self-reports to a staff member, will be provided the opportunity to secure per the above procedure without consequence (unless this repeatedly occurs).


Student Cell Phone FAQ

Why has the district decided to prohibit student cell phone use during school hours? We engaged stakeholders through a community visioning session aimed at exploring the impacts of cell phones on student success. We all agreed that this is a complex issue, agreed that our goal is to maximize every student’s true potential, and came to the conclusion that despite their benefits cell phones have overwhelmingly become a barrier to learning and student well-being. Here is a sampling of the research that is out there:

Coyne et al. (2019) conducted a three-year longitudinal study among adolescents that found using cell phones to be a significant predictor of depression in emerging young adults.

Kates et al. (2018) found that smartphone use and academic achievement were negatively correlated.

Kempf et al. (2020) found that excessive cell phone usage was associated with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder behaviors.

Kim et al. (2018) symptoms related to attention-deficit disorder (ADHD) were associated with cell phone usage.

Roser et al. (2016) found that high frequency of use associated with smartphone ownership was also linked with impaired psychological well-being, depression, and other behavioral problems.

How can I contact my child(ren) if they don’t have access to their cell phone during school hours? You can call the school’s main office to deliver a message, and parents of Secondary students can email your child(ren) at their school-issued email address. All buildings have WiFi and school devices (e.g. Chromebooks) that can be used for email. Additionally, students will be able to check their cell phones as soon as school dismisses for the day.

How can students get quick access to digital tools and content without the use of their cell phones during school hours? All buildings have WiFi and school devices (e.g. Chromebooks) that can be used to access digital tools and content. Our Wifi and devices have filtering and monitoring capabilities intended to reduce the likelihood that students can access inappropriate content.

My student is diabetic and uses their cell phone to monitor their blood sugar level. If they do not have access to their cell phone during school hours, how are they able to do this? Individualized plans can be created that allow students to place their cell phone in a locked school-issued cell phone pouch, that they keep with them, that a staff member can unlock and relock during predetermined checkpoints throughout the day, or based on symptoms.

Will students enrolled in EDGE (Sturgis High School’s Alternative Education Program) follow this procedure? Students attending EDGE will leave their cell phone in the EDGE office prior to entering the EDGE classroom.

What happens if a secondary student has a cell phone in their pocket or in a non-authorized location at school during school hours? These are violations of the policy.

What if there is an emergency at school, and my student wants access to their phone? Cell phones tend to make emergencies less safe at school, because they lead to misinformation, panic, and chaos. We have invested a great deal of time and resources into building our safety protocols, and believe that we can keep students and staff safer without the added variable of student cell phones. Additionally, emergency responders need bandwidth to communicate, and emergency communications may be impacted if everyone gets on their cell phone at the same time. If you have any further questions about cell phones and school emergencies, please contact Safety Director Dave Northrop at 269-659-1513.


References
Coyne S.M., Stockdale L., Summers K. Problematic Cell Phone Use, Depression, Anxiety, and Self-Regulation: Evidence from a Three Year Longitudinal Study from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood. Comput. Hum. Behav. 2019;96:78–84. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.02.014.

Kates, A. W., Wu, H., & Coryn, C. L. S. (2018). The effects of mobile phone use on academic performance: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 127, 107–112

Kempf C.A., Ehrhard K.A., Stoner S.C. Evaluation of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Relation to Smartphone Use. Ment. Health Clin. 2020;10:44–48. doi: 10.9740/mhc.2020.03.044.

Kim H.-J., Min J.-Y., Min K.-B., Lee T.-J., Yoo S. Relationship among Family Environment, Self-Control, Friendship Quality, and Adolescents’ Smartphone Addiction in South Korea: Findings from Nationwide Data. PLoS ONE. 2018;13:e0190896. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190896.

Roser K, Schoeni A, Foerster M, et al. Problematic mobile phone use of Swiss adolescents: is it linked with mental health or behaviour? Int J Public Health. 2016;61:307–315.