Implementation to start Monday, January 27, 2025
At this evening’s monthly Board of Education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Crankshaw outlined clarifications being made to the District’s student cell phone policy, which will be implemented at the start of the second semester of this current school year, beginning Monday, January 27, 2025.
The current policy, as outlined in the District’s Code of Conduct, prohibits the “inappropriate use of personal technology,” which is defined as the “Use of personal cell phone or any non-educationally required device, electronic or otherwise, that detracts from and/or generally disrupts learning ….”
“The policy will still stand, but we will be doing more to ensure consistency in enforcement of the policy, and no longer leave interpretation of the policy up to the discretion of staff,” Dr. Crankshaw explained.
Instead, there will be a “Bell to Bell, no Cell” expectation for all students District-wide. All cell phones and other personal electronic devices — including earbuds, smart watches, and tablets — must be stored in students’ lockers once they arrive at school. Students will not be able to access them again until the bell rings at the end of the school day.
Crankshaw reiterated that in order for the initiative to be successful, there will be “no gray area” in the enforcement of the policy. “All PEDs must be turned off and locked away, and are not to be seen or heard throughout the school day, even during study halls and lunch,” he said.
“We want to teach our students to be good digital citizens, which includes knowing when it is appropriate to use cell phones and other technology. Today’s teens have grown up in a digital world, which has unfortunately contributed to an overall deterioration in the mental health of our children. During the time they are in school, we want to take some of that stress away and give them every opportunity to focus on learning,” Crankshaw added.
The District has researched the topic of cell phone use for nearly a year, studying the policies of regional schools, the policy effectiveness of districts that limit cell phone use by students and/or utilize Yonder storage pouches, guidance by New York State and valuable input from a Shared Decision Making (SDM) ad hoc committee devoted to the topic.
The SDM ad hoc committee included administrators, teachers, and students, and was facilitated by Knox Middle School principal Nicholas Snow, and JHS principal Scott Hale, who will be overseeing cell phone policy enforcement for students in grades 8-12 starting in late January.
“Since COVID, there have been pretty clear signs that we would likely be heading in this direction,” Hale said. “Cell phones make teaching and learning difficult because students are distracted and not focused on learning, and teachers are constantly telling students to put their phones away. They also create an antisocial atmosphere in our hallways and other gathering areas like the lunchroom. Students aren’t socializing with each other because they are too focused on their phones, and that’s not the kind of setting we want for our students.”
While eighth grade students are already prohibited from having cell phones during the school day, Mr. Hale will take a hands-on approach with the implementation of “Bell to Bell, No Cell” for grades 9-12. This will include in-person meetings after winter break with each individual grade level to go over expectations, and make sure students understand the consequences of non-compliance. A communication will be sent to families in early January explaining the progressive discipline system that will accompany the “Bell to Bell, No Cell” initiative.
“We also want to assure our families that they will always be able to reach their child during the school day if there should ever be a family emergency — and vice versa — utilizing the phones in the main office at JHS,” Hale added. “We realize that the District’s re-commitment to this policy will take some time to get used to, but we are confident that it is the right thing to do and that it will ultimately create a more socially conscious and digitally responsible student body.”