Coronado schools are likely to implement a cell phone ban by the start of next year, but the rules may vary from campus to campus. An administrator and several students addressed the board at the last school board meeting, advocating for various policies on cell phone restrictions.
Superintendent Karl Mueller said the district has several options as presented in the agenda. Option A means no change to current practices or policies; Option B would update practices uniformly across all school sites; while Option C would differentiate school cell phone policy for each campus. Option D would be a new direction altogether.
Coronado Middle School principal Brooke Falar championed a bell-to-bell cell phone ban for the CMS campus.
“I am fully in support of no cell phones on the CMS campus next year,” she said. “I would support something new which includes lockable bags for devices…I think it would create a safer environment and a better culture at CMS.”
Falar said previous efforts requiring students to turn phones off and store them in backpacks during class are ineffective. Furthermore, during breaks, students use their phones to take videos and get on social media, which is against the rules, creating a burden on administration.
Several Coronado High School students said they supported restrictions at CMS but cautioned trustees against uniform bell-to-bell restrictions at all school sites.
Landon Ward, a freshmen at CHS, said that the campus culture is one of connection, and the use of cell phones doesn’t hinder face-to-face engagement.
“There are so many ways to get involved at CHS that it’s pretty much impossible to hide behind a cell phone,” he said.
Other students, like senior Anika Talavera, said that students at the middle school are isolating themselves behind devices, so banning them there could be wise. But she urged the board to consider other options for high school.
“Technology is important,” she said. “Learning responsible use of technology is important.”
Ella Mathis, a senior at CHS said that research has proven that cell phones in instructional spaces reduce focus and learning. But she cautioned against implementing lockable device bags across all school sites.
“Last year Los Angeles Unified School District spent seven million dollars implementing Yondr pouches in the the district. But in less than a week, students found a way to hack the pouches,” she said. “They purchased their own magnets, banged them against tables, used fake phones or simply avoided them altogether.”
She argued that technology is inescapable, and the district’s own Portrait of a Graduate advocates for graduating students who are “life ready.” She said this includes responsible use of technology like cell phones.
While no action was taken at the meeting, most trustees seemed to favor a graduated approach to a cell phone ban, with different restrictions for different campuses.
Trustee Scot Youngblood said he would be interested in hearing two proposals — one that bans phones district wide, and another one that was more permissive for the high school.
He also suggested the district could partner with an organization in the community to help fund the lockable pouches.
“Either way, I think it would be beneficial for lots of our students not to have this additional distraction,” he said.
Trustee Alexia Palacios-Peters said that she was previously leaning towards a district-wide ban, but after listening to public comments, is more inclined to differentiate policy campus by campus.
“I think piloting this, instead of doing a broad stroke implementation, is probably smarter,” she said. “CMS is probably the school that could be that pilot.”
Trustee Renee Cavanaugh said the board shouldn’t ignore the use of technology at the elementary schools, where she suggested a bell-to-bell lockbox set up.
“Smartwatches at the elementary school are a status symbol,” she said. “Kids go to the bathroom and grab their phone out of their backpack, which is in the hallway, to call and do things.”
She said she saw both sides when it comes to more restrictive policies at the high school, and asked to see more options.
Trustee Mal Sandie, however, said he supported a bell-to-bell ban across all school sites.
“Our goal is to prepare students for higher education, careers and society,” he said. “Without cell phones, attendance improves, social skills improve, grades improve and bullying decreases. Getting rid of phones … would contribute to our goals.”
Haissam Kouli, the Associated Student Body President, advocated for the use of a lockbox at the high school to restrict cell phone use during instructional time. But he said CHS didn’t suffer from cultural problems at the school that stem from excessive cell phone use.
“Students are doing other things on our campus, and positive things on our campus,” he said. “The main problem is having cell phones during instructional time, and lockboxes will solve that problem. While I see the merit in taking cell phones away completely at the other schools, I don’t see the need for that at the high school.”
Trustee Fitz Lee said that in order for a cell phone policy to be effective, it needs to have some teeth.
“Parents, we’ve got to step up and make this happen,” he said. “If our children break that law, it’s on them, and they will pay those consequences. Because, guess what? That’s what real life’s all about. That’s how it works.”
At the end of the discussion, Mueller said he would ask staff to prepare a graduated approach for the board, with different policies in place at different school sites. He said the district could pilot the pouches at CMS, and then revisit restrictions at CHS if there are problematic outcomes. And he said it’s important to partner with parents.
“At the end of the day, the parents are the ones purchasing and paying the monthly fees for the students in our district to have smart devices,” he said.
The cell phone policy will be up for discussion of the next board meeting which takes place on Thursday, April 16 at District Offices.
