Independence schools ponder student cellphone policy change

Cellphone concerns at Independence High School led to a nearly hourlong discussion at last week’s Independence school board meeting.

The current student cellphone policy was created by staff and administration at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. Some staff allow students to have phones on their desk or table, and others do not.

Students are allowed to use their phones between classes, at lunch and during managed time such as a study hall at the end of the day. Some teachers allow the phones to sit on the desk.

“From what I observe on a daily basis, students are not using their phones when they shouldn’t be in classrooms,” Franzwa said on Monday, saying the last phone conceded to the office due to misuse was on Feb. 20.

The policy will be reviewed and under discussion for 2024-25, and Franzwa asked that staff have an input on how to handle cellphones. Some staff allow students to play music while doing schoolwork.

“I don’t believe that this is the most impactful thing that we can do to hit our target of our mission statement of ensure learning for all,” Franzwa said.

Standards-based grading and report cards show which students need more support through personal learning times, the district leader said, and a “roosting” time means some students get one-on-one or small group teaching while others have open study time and can use their phones.

Board members, though, referenced the high school’s rating of 47.3 on the 2022-23 Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Report Card, which scored as ‘Fails to Meet Expectations’ and wondered if eliminating cellphone distractions could help.

The score was a decline from 2021-22’s score of 56, or ‘Meets Few Expectations’.

“For 13 years I have watched the growth. The growth is there. And then this year we get the most ridiculously low scores in our high school we’ve ever gotten,” board President Joe Bragger said. “I have heard every one of these pitches which is going to make our school great, and it’s just another pitch until you get the fundamentals down and the respect down of our kids to toe the line, to do things the way they have to.”

More discussion likely coming

The current policy does have some gray areas and reads that a “designee” decides when a device can be used for a legitimate reason in Independence. 

The first time a student is caught using their phones inappropriately, it is taken for the remainder of the day. A second offense means surrendering the phone and parent notification, while a third requires a parent to retrieve the phone from the office. 

A fourth violation means the student cannot have a phone at school for six weeks or until the end of the term, whichever is longer.

Penalties are consistent with other area school districts, Bragger said, but he wants a policy similar to the one at Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau. The rule in that policy (443.5) says phones can be used during lunch as well as before and after school. They must be turned off when not in use and cannot be out unless allowed by the teacher.

Board member Deb Bork thinks removing cellphones from classrooms could benefit kids.

“I mean there’s an addiction actually in some cases to telephones, to mobile phones. And I have to watch myself,” Bork said. “So, it’s not something that I’m just thinking about, there’s been factual studies on there from psychologists and doctors that say there is a problem with this. …But if parents don’t start teaching their kids this or we don’t give them some guidance in school, where are they going to get this?”

Fellow board member Jen Rombalski said other devices beyond phones such as smartwatches might need to be addressed through policy changes, but she wants to make sure the focus of any change is academic success.

Bob Guza agreed, saying any change is not a punishment but instead is about quality education.

“A board is supposed to look at and identify policy changes that might benefit the students and the staff,” Rombalski said. “I think this is one of them … I think that one of the things the board needs to do, this is an area the board could look at an adjustment that helps to increase the opportunity for learning in our classrooms. I think we have a responsibility to do that.”