Wake students will soon have to put phones away in class. But details aren't final
Wake County school leaders gave initial approval Tuesday to restricting student cellphone use in school but said major revisions could be made before the policy is finally adopted.
The new student cellphone policy requires wireless communication devices to be silenced and put away during the school day except in a few limited circumstances. But board members said they need to resolve details about the policy, such as how to handle the confiscation of phones and how much flexibility schools should be given within the policy.
'No policy is perfect,' said school board vice chair Tyler Swanson. 'This is a policy that will have to be revised and revisited many times to get accurate feedback.'
School board chair Chris Heagarty reiterated multiple times Tuesday night that there will be changes made before the second and final vote on the policy that could occur June 3.
Once adopted, the new policy would go into effect for the 2025-26 school year. It's supposed to replace how schools have set their own individual phone policies.
Wake's policy comes amid a major push nationwide to restrict students from using phones in class.
At least 22 states have laws or policies that ban or restrict students' use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an Education Week analysis.
Both the state House and Senate have passed their own bills restricting cellphone use in school and included the language in their budget proposals. Wake would have to change the policy if the Senate bill becomes law because it requires phones to be turned off and not just silenced in class.
The phone ban would be in effect during the school day in elementary and middle schools. This means phones can't be used by K-8 students unless the situation qualifies for one of the exceptions.
The policy allows high schools to let students use their phones during non-instructional time. This includes during lunch, breaks and class changes in the hallway.
Other exceptions include:
▪ Phones can be used during school hours if they're authorized or required in the individualized education program or Section 504 plan of a student with disabilities.
▪ Phones can be used if they're part of a student's individualized health plan developed by school nursing staff. Examples include using the phone to monitor a student's glucose levels
▪ The school is allowing teachers to authorize use of devices during class for instructional purposes.
▪ School staff may authorize brief use of a device if there is a reasonable and legitimate need to communicate with someone outside the school during the instructional day. Students must ask for permission in advance, unless they're calling 911 in an emergency.
One of the areas that drew board concern Tuesday is that staff revised the policy to say that the definition of the school day might vary by school. That means one school could say phones would be banned between morning and afternoon bells while another could include the time between drop-off and pick-up of students.
'If we have 200 schools and 200 potential different policies in terms of how the policy is implemented, that's a problem,' Heagarty said.
Board member Wing Ng said they need to provide one consistent policy that schools can fall back on.
'If each school can do what they want, why have a policy anyway?' Ng said.
Board member Sam Hershey warned he'd vote against the policy unless changes are made to provide more consistency.
The policy says that a school employee such as a teacher can confiscate a phone if it's substantially disrupting the class or if a student has repeatedly violated the policy. The policy would also allow the school to require the parent to pick up the phone in certain circumstances.
The policy also says that the school will not accept any liability if a student's phone is stolen, lost or damaged, even if it's confiscated.
Heagarty said they could have situations where parents tell their kids to refuse to surrender the phone.
'If the policy requires the physical taking of a phone, you invite the real potential for more conflict and more disruption,' Heagarty said.
The policy says phones should be stored in a locker, backpack or bag. Students wouldn't be allowed to put their phone in their pocket.
Board members said a way to potentially reduce conflict would be to require students to put their phones in a pouch or other container while in class.
One idea that was mentioned was to have the teacher put the student's phone in a paper bag and staple it. This way students will know where the phone is but can't have ready access.
'We'd land on the 'Tonight Show' pretty fast,' said board member Lynn Edmonds, who said she couldn't support the paper bag idea.
Edmonds said she could support requiring students to put their phones in a bag or pouch.
Superintendent Robert Taylor said it could $15 to $20 per pouch so it wouldn't be cost prohibitive.
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