Newton school district data shows cellphone ban policy is being enforced

School data shows teachers in Berg Middle School and Newton High School are cracking down on cellphone usage during instructional time in both buildings this past month. Increased incidents indicate the policy has given staff members the means to properly enforce the cellphone ban, as per state law.

Newton High School has recorded 114 cellphone violations so far this year, which is an increase from 24 this time last year. The high school noted 92 students accounted for those violations. Principal Michael Dale said the building has hung up several posters telling students that personal electronic devices are not allowed.

Cellphones, earbuds, non-district issued tablets and computers and video game devices are not to be used during instructional time.

For the high school, instructional time is between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. on school grounds, which also includes lunchtime, passing periods and open periods. It also includes early bird classes where instruction occurs, like weight lifting or marching band; the latter has been identified as a possible issue.

Interestingly enough, the high school has also reported a significant reduction in tardies; the building has seen the number of tardies cut in half. Staff reported 174 tardies at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year at Newton High School. By comparison, the high school has only seen 88 tardies so far this year.

“So that’s been a really, really pleasant surprise for us,” Dale said to school board members during a Sept. 22 presentation. “I will say, anecdotally, the number of student-to-student conflict conversation issues we’ve had has dramatically gone down, and hopefully we’re just not in the honeymoon period.”

Staff are using a lockbox as a visual reminder that the school is enforcing the policy. Incidents of phones being confiscated are documented.

Principal Daryl Dotson said Berg Middle School has recorded 26 personal electronic violations so far this school year, which is up from seven cellphone incidents and six Chromebook incidents this same time last year. However, Dotson noted some students are voluntarily turning in phones before school.

“We have three to five students coming down every morning to give their phones and turn them into the lockbox every day because they don’t want any issues,” Dotson said. “They feel it’s safe in the lockbox, which it is. But they don’t want to get in trouble. I think that speaks volumes to their thought process.”

Berg Middle School defines its instructional time as between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:05 p.m. on school grounds, which includes passing periods, study halls, restroom breaks and any other down time during the school day. Any confiscated phones are brought to a lockbox in the front office.

WEST Academy utilizes lock pouches for its smaller volume of students. At the start of the school day, students are to silence their phones and place them in locked pouches. The pouches are carried by students and can be unlocked at the end of the day or when they leave the building.

While cellphone incidents are not as prevalent in the elementary schools, they do occur. Emerson Hough Elementary has reported two incidents thus far this year, which is the same amount staff recorded last school year in the building. Principal Tara Zehr joked the elementary had reached its quota for the year.

Despite some differences in the frequency of incidents, the district buildings all relatively follow the same procedures when handling confiscated cellphones.

For the first incident at the middle school, the phone is taken to the office and the student can pick it up at the end of the day. Parents or guardians are notified. If it happens again, the parents or guardians have to pick up the phone and then meet with the principal. Subsequent offenses result in detentions or suspensions.

In the high school, first offenses follow the same process as the middle school. The second offense in the high school differs in that a meeting does not have to be held between the principal, the student and the student’s parents or guardians. However, the third offense will require a meeting.

Dotson said phones are either brought to the office by teachers or by a behavior interventionist, but if he is out and about in the building he will personally take them to the lockbox. The middle school principal said the lockbox can hold up to 62 phones, but staff have not yet filled it to capacity. They hope they never do.

Dotson noted that while the initial data from the school buildings is high, he reasoned it is because there is now a huge focus on proper documentation.

“We’re doing it, so the numbers are going to be up,” he said.

Obstacles the middle school has encountered (which Dotson didn’t consider true obstacles) are frustrated students and parents, but he added communication has been key in calming them down. Other issues include ensuring documentation of infractions are accurate, particularly during the whirlwind of the school day.

Dale said courses at DMACC that require a two-factor authentication have also proven challenging for students. Navigating requests for accommodations has also been an obstacle for the high school, as well as the logistics when students are coming and going throughout the school day.