News / Northwest

WA schools superintendent calls on districts to limit cellphone use among students. Here’s why

'Truthfully, it went way better than I thought it would last year'

By Martín Bilbao, The Olympian

Published: August 29, 2024, 9:59am

The Washington schools chief Chris Reykdal is calling on school districts across the state to limit cellphone use among students. (Associated Press files)

The Washington state Superintendent of Public Instruction is encouraging local school leaders to limit cellphone use during instructional time by changing policies over the next year.

Chris Reykdal, the state superintendent, called for new school policies regarding cellphone and smart device use in a news release Wednesday.

The guidance calls for school leaders to work with their local communities to update their policies by the start of the 2025-26 school year. This messaging comes as many schools across the state and nation have started to restrict or plan to restrict cellphone use to improve education and health outcomes.

“Reducing the use of cellphones in class improves concentration and learning, improves mental and physical health, and reduces pressures caused by social media,” Reykdal said in the guidance document.

Cellphones in schools

The Vancouver School of Arts and Academics is pictured May 1, 2020.

Vancouver Schools of Arts and Academics will limit cellphones in classrooms; district could follow suit as it looks at issue this summer

The Vancouver School of Arts and Academics sent out a notice to families last week that it will adopt a new policy to limit classroom…

A phone holder hangs in a classroom at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. At the rural Utah school, there is a strict policy requiring students to check their phones at the door when entering every class. Each of the school’s 30 or so classrooms has a cellphone storage unit that looks like an over-the-door shoe bag with three dozen smartphone-sized slots.

Should Washington’s public schools ban students from using cellphones?

Smartphones gripping people’s attention isn’t anything new. But following the pandemic, Kris Hagel recalls seeing a troubling rise in public school students distracted by their…

Specifically, Reykdal suggests school leaders implement uniform, school-wide policies to create consistent expectations of students, staff and families.

Exceptions may be implemented when educators need to use devices as part of a lesson plan or in the event of an emergency, Reykdal advises. Additionally, schools should accommodate students with disabilities who use devices to support their learning as part of their Individualized Education Program, the guidance says.

About 79% of educators who teach in schools that allow educators to set rules found cellphone use to be very disruptive, according to a 2024 survey by National Education Association. About 90% of those surveyed said they would support restrictions on cellphone use.

The guidance also highlights a case study from the Reardon-Edwall School District, which is located west of Spokane. The district implemented cellphone restrictions last school year.

A quote from Reardan-Edwall School District Superintendent Eric Sobotta says the district engaged with staff and then parents over the summer to develop its own policy. The outreach reportedly included town halls, written communication and book studies.

The guidance highlighted the following points from the Reardan-Edwall School District policy.

Cellphones must be stored in a locker or cubby during the school day.
High school students may use their cellphones during morning break and at lunch.
Elementary students may give their phone to their teacher at the start of the day to be kept in a locked drawer in the classroom.
Parents and guardians must leave a message with the school office to contact a student.

“Truthfully, it went way better than I thought it would last year,” Sobotta said. “It has not gone perfectly, but it did go well, and we are continuing our stance going into the 2024-25 school year. As the saying goes, ‘now that we know better, we need to do better.'”

Larry Delaney, president of the Washington Education Association, supported the guidance in a news release.

“We know that students succeed when they can focus on learning,” Delaney said. “These policies provide educators with support to create better learning environments and is a step forward in creating safer and healthier schools for our students.”

Local angle

Cellphone policies in Clark County schools have largely been maintained on a class-by-class basis at the discretion of teachers and principals.

Earlier this summer, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics notified families that their students would be required to keep their phones in numbered plastic pouches at the front of classrooms to limit in-class usage starting this fall.

“The research is clear: Schools without cellphones in classrooms report improved focus, academics, creativity, mental health and social connections,” school Principal Lori Rotherham wrote in a letter home to parents in June.

Following the school’s guidance, Vancouver district officials said they were interested in providing more specific guidance on cellphones at a district level through surveys to families, students and staff this year — whether or not it looked exactly like VSAA’s plan.

Across town, Shahala Middle School in Evergreen Public Schools, too, has taken steps to develop an in-house policy. Quite clearly, the policy requires all students to keep phones silenced and out of sight during the school day, with the exception of at lunchtime — similar to OSPI’s guidelines.

Consequences for violating the policy begin with warnings and could even lead to students being required to leave their devices at home entirely or relinquish them to the school’s principal for the day.

Evergreen’s student handbook provides looser guidance, but asks that phones and other personal devices only be used in the classroom at the direction of teachers and building administrators.

— Griffin Reilly

The efficacy of these policies improves when they are paired with other strategies, such as supporting student mental health and showing students how to safely use digital media.

Joe Aune, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, also supported the guidance.

“We want our students to develop healthy habits and digital citizenship skills that will serve them well in the future,” Aune said. “I am confident that school and district leaders will be thoughtful about implementing policies that support learning and well-being for all students.”

To that end, the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction says it is partnering with educators to integrate media literacy and digital citizenship into English language arts learning standards.

Additionally, the state says their partnerships are working to help students learn about safe and ethical ways to use artificial intelligence.

Cellphones in schools

Local angle

Related Stories