School smartphone bans have advanced in several states recently as teachers and administrators grapple with student welfare. Concerns about classroom distraction, mental health, bullying, suicide prevention and overall school safety have led to both legislative and policy actions, but what is the right approach? In September, ZeroNow’s National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD) convened a virtual discussion to investigate this hot topic. Professionals from across the country shared their experiences, challenges, and successes implementing nascent smartphone policies and emerging promising practices.
Related Article: Which State Have Banned Cell Phones in Schools?
With a new school year coming up fast and new guidelines going into effect, school safety professionals participating in the NCSSD forum expressed concerns that bans or limitations may not fully consider the unintended safety and security implications. Key themes in our members’ discussion are distilled below to help inform productive conversations between school boards, school leaders, staff, families and students.
6 Considerations When Implementing School Smartphone Bans
- Community Involvement: It is essential to listen to each community’s needs, concerns and goals to tailor smartphone policies and promote public engagement.
- Policy Implementation: Consistency and accountability are essential when implementing policies, and require the support of parents, students and teachers.
- Pros and Cons: Tradeoffs exist and must be weighed, such as improved student focus and reduced distractions, vs. potential communication barriers and increased anxiety for some students.
- Emergency Communication: Schools must balance smartphone restrictions with the need for emergency communication during crises, while also addressing student and family concerns.
- Innovation: Many solutions exist in a rapidly developing market, but so do “hacks” by students to bypass products. The vetting process needs objective information and professional input.
- Challenges and Opportunities: Implementing and maintaining consistent practices requires overcoming many challenges while embracing opportunities. Addressing these head on can foster improved classroom engagement and a more positive school culture.
Develop Community Stakeholder Support Before Implementation
Smartphone limitations almost always stem from noble intentions, but a one-size-fits-all policy is likely to fail without adequate input from the education community. Listening to these voices can help reconcile conflicting legitimate concerns for or against a ban.
Restrictive smartphone bans are driven by concerns such as harassment, privacy and mental health risks associated with “phone-based childhoods.” However, the paramount importance of student safety had led just one-third of public school parents to support stronger restrictions in a national poll. However, that same poll clarified that only 15% of parents wanted federal or state involvement in setting cell phone policy for students. Yet, 57% of parents preferred local education leaders, such as school board members, superintendents and principals, to make the decision.
Americans are facing a pivotal public policy moment about how we protect and educate students in a 21st century digital ecosystem that offers equally infinite benefits and challenges. Now is the time to support the creation of balanced policies informed by community expectations and grounded in the expertise of education leaders, school safety professionals, educators and continued research. Reactive policies detached from school operations and classroom reality may grab fleeting headlines, but it is the common sense development of local solutions that will deliver the desired results for safer students and schools.
Related Article: Virginia Department of Education to Release Final Guidance on Cell Phones in Schools
ZeroNow is a member-supported community consisting of technology pioneers, education safety leaders, higher education institutions, schools, and advocates for safer campuses. Jonathan Kassa is a school board director, chair of Safe Schools Committee for North Penn School District in Pennsylvania, and chairs ZeroNow’s Programming Committee. Jason Stoddard is Director of Safety & Security, Charles County Public Schools in Maryland and chairs ZeroNow’s National Council of School Safety Directors.
NOTE: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to Campus Safety.
