Newton students prohibited from cellphone use during entire school day

School leaders have decided cellphone use will be strictly prohibited at Newton Community School District, including during lunchtime and in between classes.

Newton Superintendent Tom Messinger said the school board has already approved the cellphone/personal electronic devices board policy, and it meets all of the different requirements in the legislation which was signed into law by the governor earlier this year. Schools are required to develop policies.

Specifically, schools are to restrict student cellphone use during instructional time. Messinger noted each school can determine what instructional time means.

Laura Sherratt, assistant principal of Newton High School, told school board members on July 28 that administrators have defined “instructional time” to be from when doors open until the end of the day when school is let out, effectively banning the use of cellphones by students. The same applies for middle school.

“We’re working very hard in conjunction with each other,” Sherratt said during a discussion about the policy. “It’s very important for all of us that we are consistent between the middle school and the high school, so that is just a smooth process and not different at one place or another … We have a stair step of infractions.”

On the first offense, the phone or electronic device will be taken away and turned into the office. The student can then pick up their device at the end of the day.

The second offense will have the phone or device taken away and stored in the office, but it will have to be picked up by a parent.

All subsequent offenses may result in an in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension and what administrators deemed as other “appropriate measures.”

Jen Wiebel, assistant principal at Berg Middle School, told school board members if a student refuses to hand over a phone or electronic device, it may result in the student being sent home for the remainder of the school day. Wiebel stressed these same rules mainly apply to students in grades 5 through 12.

“We have kind of talked about maybe some consistency with classrooms and staff to kind of help the staff in implementing this,” Wiebel said. “Instead of just saying, ‘Hey, it needs to be in your backpack,’ we’re playing around with the idea of buying classroom cellphone boxes where it’s part of classroom procedures.”

Other ideas staff have brainstormed are lock boxes within the office. Wiebel said some students hesitate to turn over their phones because they think staff will look through their phones. She said while that is never the case, the lock boxes may give students more reassurance that their phone is secured away.

Board member Travis Padget asked the assistant principals if they anticipate teachers will have difficulties enforcing the rules. Sherratt stressed conversations with staff before the school year will emphasize that these are the rules and it is backed by state law and it will inevitably help their classrooms.

Padget pressed further and questioned how teachers will teach using electronic devices and internet applications. It could send mixed messages, he said. Board member Donna Cook also scrutinized the logistics of enforcing the policy, particularly during lunch and the travel time between classes or in bathrooms.

“It’s something we’re going to have to navigate and work through,” Sherratt said. “…It’s going to be a learning curve. I don’t what else you want me to tell you. It’s going to be trial and error in how we’re going to navigate that and how we’re going to police that, because there is only 60 staff members and 842 students.”

Wiebel added that the lock boxes in classrooms could help deter students who want to use the restroom during class to be on their phone.

Cook argued the burden of policing is too much.

“It’s a significant change,” Cook said. “There will be resistance and there will be continued use as much as they can get away with I’m sure. I mean, I would. So I think we have to make it as easy as possible for both them and staff. So I have some concerns about the before and after class thing.”