Should high school students have cell phones in the classroom? What Tri-City schools are doing

Some Tri-City schools are taking steps to limit cellphone use in an effort to improve students’ mental health and prevent bullying, as well as to focus the school day on learning.

Three schools in the Richland School District plan to pilot the new guidelines.

Students at Hanford High School and Richland High School will be allowed to use their phones only between classes and before and after school. Meanwhile, students at Enterprise Middle School will be following a “all-day absence” policy, where their phones will be turned off and tucked away in their backpacks from the first bell to the last.

If these efforts are successful, they could impact efforts across the district.

“They were excited to try it out,” Principal Shelley Redinger said at the Aug. 13 school board meeting.

In the meantime, phones will be restricted during classes at Pasco High School and Chiawana High School. Like their peers in Richland, those students will still be able to use them during recess and lunch.

“The implementation of these guidelines is intended to improve student focus and engagement in the classroom and create a healthier learning environment,” Anna Tensmeyer, Pasco School District’s director of public relations, wrote in an email.

Since last year, Pasco high schools have required students to keep their phones in their backpacks at all times while on campus, mirroring Enterprise’s efforts. The rule will go into effect in the 2024-25 school year.

“We have seen positive outcomes, especially at the high school level, and we look forward to seeing how these changes at the high school level impact our students’ academic success and overall well-being,” Tensmeyer wrote.

The Kennewick School District has restricted student use of “personal electronic devices,” including cellphones, during classes starting in 2022. However, teachers can give students permission to use their phones if it’s part of the lesson.

Most U.S. schools have had policies in place for years. But a new wave of cellphone bans and restrictions by teachers, principals and lawmakers in recent months is aimed at getting students back on track with their learning and away from digital distractions like TikTok and Instagram.

The new school year begins next week for tens of thousands of K-12 students in the Tri-Cities. Pasco and Richland will begin returning to classes on Tuesday, Aug. 27, and all Kennewick students will return on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

State bans and research

In the past few years, seven states have adopted policies or statewide restrictions on cellphone use by students on campus or during classes. They include Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia, according to Education Week.

The new rules and laws vary. For example, a Minnesota law tasked the state’s school principals association with creating “best practices” and says school districts should adopt the rules by March, while an updated Louisiana law requires students to keep their phones in their backpacks until the end of the school day.

Earlier this year, the Washington state legislature considered a bill that would have piloted cellphone restrictions in some schools, tasked the Washington State Association of School Principals with developing a model policy and ultimately required school districts to adopt policies to “limit student use of mobile devices” during classes.

House Bill 2018, sponsored by state Rep. Stephanie McClintock, R-Vancouver, failed to pass House Appropriations despite bipartisan support.

Teachers say students are more distracted than ever before, and cell phones are often a major cause of this.

Nearly three-quarters of high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a “major problem” in their classrooms, according to a November Pew Research Center study. The percentage of middle and elementary school teachers who said the same in the study was 33% and 6%, respectively.

About 82% of K-12 teachers nationwide say their school has a cellphone policy, with most finding it “very” or “somewhat” easy to enforce.

However, according to a Pew study, about 70% of teens believe that using smartphones brings them more benefits than drawbacks, and half also believe that smartphones help them do well in school.

Several years of research have shown that unregulated cell phone use has a negative impact on the mental health, concentration, and social interactions of children and adolescents. Reports indicate that social media can cause particular stress, depression, and a sense of burden for them.

The Away For The Day campaign claims that students who put their phones away during the school day are more engaged in their learning, often score higher on tests, and are less likely to suffer from depression or suicide.

An international study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that it can take a student as much as 20 minutes to refocus on a subject after looking at a smartphone.

Children can also develop separation anxiety towards their devices known as “nomophobia” as well as internet addiction. These problems can affect the student’s overall academic performance.

“This type of anxiety is often linked to receiving negative feedback or cyberbullying from peers, becoming more aware of stressful events in others’ lives, and internalizing the pressure to stay updated on social media,” one Hungarian research paper writes. “It is also possible that using such platforms is used as a coping mechanism by people struggling with anxiety or depression.”

Mobile phones can also be a valuable educational tool for students, and many parents feel more confident knowing they can communicate directly with their children.

Tri-Cities Changes

“Our new policy is to keep cell phones and personal devices secure from bell to bell,” reads the letter sent to families of Enterprise passengers.

“This includes lunch times and hallways during breaks. If you need to contact your student during the school day, you can contact the main office and we will contact your student. Students will also have access to school phones in the offices should they need to call a parent/guardian,” the letter continued.

Students who violate the new policy on their first or second offense will have their device taken to the office where they can pick it up at the end of the school day.

Continued violations of the new cell phone usage guidelines may result in a conference with the school principal, teacher and parent.

At Hanford and Richland high schools, students are asked to put away phones and earbuds — except Chromebooks — during classes. They may use them between classes and during lunch.

Students can wear smart watches but cannot use them to communicate during lessons.

“We know there are some exceptions that will need to be made, and we are happy to work with families to accommodate necessary requests with appropriate documentation,” the letter to families of high school students reads, which may include medical reasons.