La Conner Schools silencing cell phones on campus

Cell phones have their place. But starting this fall the La Conner Schools campus won’t be one of them.

District administrators have rolled out a plan for the new school year that creates a cell phone free zone, a policy approved two years ago.

School board members endorsed the plan – designed to assure fewer classroom distractions and greater student focus on academics – during their hour-long Aug. 12 meeting in the adminstrative building.

“We’re not changing policy,” Board President Susie Deyo stressed. “We passed the policy in October of ’22. That laid the groundwork. This is about procedures.”

Deyo said that over the past couple years board members and district staff have sought student input on school cell phone usage.

“They were very positive,” said Deyo, “about limiting the use of cell phones.”

Deyo praised Superintendent David Cram and Director of Teaching and Learning Beth Clothier for developing a plan that implements the policy.

“We feel it’s important to get students back to engaging with learning and interpersonal communication,” Clothier told the Weekly News Monday afternoon.

She said teachers had requested that cell phone usage be addressed.

“We’re super excited to have their voice put first,” Clothier said.

Data indicate that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when school districts were limited to online instruction for stay-at-home students, teens significantly increased their cell phone usage.

Clothier told the board that some students report using their cell phones up to nine hours daily.

She presented statistics showing that nearly half of middle and high school students responding to a survey said cell phone usage at school is problematic.

“We want to help kids to put their phones away and act interpersonally with one another,” said Clothier. “We’re hoping they’ll have actual conversations and interact with one another.”

She said cell phone restrictions are intended to enhance student social-emotional well-being and higher scholastic engagement.

Cram agreed, while insisting that the plan doesn’t represent a total technology ban.

“We’re not denying access to technology for our students,” he said. “They will have their laptops, which we feel are more useful academically.”

Cram said the initial focus is sharing why the district wants to restrict student cell phone use. He and Clothier said implementation details will come after feedback is received from parents.

“We’re trying to avoid getting into the nitty-gritty of it until we hear from the community,” Cram said.

He and Clothier did say, however, that one option would be to provide students with a Yondr pouch for storing and locking phones during the school day.

Board member Kim Pedroza said that assigning the pouches could help relieve student stress that might arise if cell phones were required to be turned into a campus office.

The district plans to provide families with a flier outlining the creation of a cell phone free learning environment during the Aug. 14 Swinomish Back-to-School Bash at John K. Bob Ball Park.

The flier, which the Weekly News was provided, states “having a cell phone free school enables us to focus on the district’s strategic plan for all learners to engage, connect and achieve.”

Cram and Clothier conceded that some heavy lifting might remain.

“We recognize that families will have concerns,” Clothier said. “Families have grown accustomed to being in constant communication with their kids.”

Cram said that other school districts in the state – most prominently Mercer Island in King County – are moving to significantly reduce student cell phone use on their campuses.

“This is a big lift,” Cram noted. “But we think it’s an important lift for the benefit of our students. They may not think so at first, but we think it will be for the best.”

The school board concurred.

“I’m in favor of the cell phone policy,” said board member John Agen, participating by phone.

“This is for the best for everyone,” board member Alana Quintasket added. “Everyone deserves to have a classroom where there’s undivided attention.”

“This,” said Deyo, “is about stepping up for the best interest of kids.”

The board also approved:

A budget extension that reflect revenues and expenditures related to several grant awards received by the district, including the 21st Century grant for the Braves Hub program and one to solarize campus buildings.

Cascadia Renewables to manage the district’s solar grant project.

An interlocal agreement with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community to create and maintain a long-sought ethnobotanical garden project. “We’ve had discussions and designs for this,” Deyo said. “We just needed a document and now we have one. This is a great project.”