The Cell Phone Ban
A 'be-all and end-all" solution? Not Quite. A fantastic step forward? Absolutely!
At their last meeting in July, the Board of Education successfully passed the recommended policy changes brought forth by district leadership to ban the use of cell phones during the school day. Since we launched our Substack in February 2022, both Mike and I have been adamant in our disdain for cell phones in the classrooms and have been strong advocates for their all-out banishment or, at a minimum, an extremely aggressive restriction of their use between established bell-times. Kudos to our elected officials for taking a stand!
Furthermore, we would be remiss in failing to acknowledge those trailblazers in the school district such as Johns Hill Magnet School who took it upon themselves to ban/restrict cell phones by: 1) take a vaguely written policy, 2) adapt it to their specific needs, and 3) implementing it one the first day of the 23/24 school year – holding all students, staff & care-givers accountable in making it work. When we first spoke with their staff last fall about this issue, one of their over-arching goals they had set for school year was to reduce office referrals by 10%, and Principal Bonebrake was hopeful that restricting cell phone use would be a catalyst in achieving that goal. While we here at the Chalkboard do not know the details, it would be safe to assume that action made a significant impact towards achieving that goal.
We would also like to give another shout-out to District Leadership in taking the steps to make sure the community as a whole was informed of the new policy and why they believe it is vital to the success of all our students. Leadership put in the work by hosting a forum for community members & business leaders to learn about the policy – both answering their questions & recognizing their concerns. They also shared that information with all the households in DPS 61 by sending out a flyer, specifically addressed to each recipient, that outlined not only the guidelines behind the new policy, but also clearly spelled out the ramifications for non-compliance. No one in the school district – not students, not parents nor the voters – can say they were not aware of the changes being made.
We, the community, should be proud of the steps that we have taken, but let’s not kid ourselves - implementation will be tough. It may, at times, even seem difficult but we must stand firm and help our students learn to accept the new norms. It will take some time, but we genuinely believe this can make a real difference in the classroom. Over the years I have learned – in part due to the wisdom of my wife who spent 35 years in an elementary classroom – that our kids are truly resilient, and they will rise up & meet expectations if we just simply hold them accountable. As Dr. Roland Fryer advocates (see The Keys to Effective Schools), our students will live up or down to the expectations we set for them.