When choosing a middle school for my son, my mind muddled through all the considerations. Slowly, it became clear that the unsupervised use & sharing of cell phones should be my biggest concern. “Kids can be exposed to ANYTHING during breaks and lunch AT SCHOOL!!”
I encourage you to call around and ask your local schools about their policies. I did, and it was shocking. This discovery prompted me to send the letter below to local school boards and principals. It takes a village, and I hope you’ll join me!
Dear _ (School Administrator),
As I’m researching schools for my son, the school’s cell phone policy has become my number one consideration. I do not want to leave my children alone with unmonitored access to the internet. I want to be there to guide them, but other kids with phones can literally expose them to ANYTHING during breaks and lunch AT SCHOOL!!
For example, a friend’s 15 year old daughter had this disgusting song shown and sung to her at lunch: “Bust that P@&$y Open” (tiktok video)
This is just a fraction of the revolting and immoral junk that kids are watching and sharing on phones at school (not funny cat videos). It is damaging to their self-worth and values. School should be a safe place in which rules are enforced. Unacceptable behavior and materials should not permitted. It’s impossible to monitor 2,000 kids on their phones – an easy fix, keep them out of school. If they need to call home, the office has a phone they can use.
Today, it horrifies us that smoking was once allowed in schools. It’s equally horrifying that we encourage phone addiction in schools. Checking social media and feeling compelled to answer texts during school hours adds to the problem. Phones are hindering our students from learning and are creating anxiety, depression, and violence.
You must ask the question: Is allowing cell phones in schools, helping or hurting our children? The answer is overwhelmingly obvious; it is hurting them, tremendously.
At the very basic level, it’s the school’s responsibility that our children’s education is conducted in a safe place. This is impossible, when kids are being videotaped, sent vulgar pictures or porn, and bullied via phones.
It’s the school’s responsibility to ensure school is conducive to learning and free of distractions. This is not happening when kids are getting alerts, watching YouTube, and etc. under their desks. They are overwhelmingly pre-occupied with what’s happening on their phones. Studies show that the mere presence of phones in kids’ backpacks reduces available cognitive capacity. It’s as disrupting as having a loud noise like a train engine run thru the classroom. A study by the London School of Economics looked at test performance of 130,000 student in 91 UK schools in 2015 that banned cell phones, concluding that national exam scores improved 6% following the ban, and 14% among underachieving students.
Part of education is helping children mature mentally and socially into well rounded, responsible young people. Phones arrest this development as each child withdraws into his own device with headphones on while changing classes and at lunch. We’re raising a generation of children who don’t know how to socially interact with one another. And more tragically, a generation who rather than show compassion for another child, would often instead video his distress and see how many “likes” it can get.
You are part of our school system because you care deeply about our children’s education and their well-being. Let’s not give in to harmful cultural norms.
Here are some possible solutions:
- Phones are “checked in” in the morning & returned after school.
- Not allowing personal devices at school. (In an emergency, students should be following directions and not searching for their phones.)
- If a phone is seen, it is confiscated by the teacher and a parent has to pick it up. This would be even more effective if they had to pay a fine that starts at $25 and goes up each time. The more inconveniencing violations are for parents, the more effective the solution will be.
I have ruled out several “great” schools due to their current policies. Unfortunately, I think some schools may be lacking the same clarity as I was when I began this process. I beg you to pass this letter along to “the powers that be” at your school / district. I hope schools will thoughtfully reflect on their current policies and enact meaningful change.
Here is an additional article for consideration: https://protectyoungeyes.com/no-more-smartphones-how-one-large-school-district-removed-distraction-from-learning/
Thank you,
________________,
A Parent and Educator
I’d love to hear about how you are helping to get the word out! Let us know in the comments below!
In case you’re interested, I recently created this log book for my own children. You can use it & adapt it for your needs too. It’s printable & customizable! Just click on the picture to get yours!
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Happy teaching!