Vallivue School District bans student cell phone use

Countering a growing distraction in classrooms, the Vallivue School District has made an overarching decision to ban student-device use on all campuses.

The district announced its new policy in an email to parents earlier this week.

“The issue of cell phone use during the school day has been a major topic of discussion lately,” Superintendent Lisa Boyd wrote. “While cell phones and other personal communication devices offer many conveniences and benefits, our teachers, administrators, and trustees believe the quality of social interactions and academic achievement will improve with the new expectations.”

Vallivue School District, which is based in Caldwell, serves students in grades kindergarten through 12th. The district is made up of 13 schools total.

The policy will require students in middle and high school to keep their phones in their cars or lockers while on campus. Elementary school students will be expected to keep phones in their backpacks.

“At no time is a high school or middle school student allowed to have a personal communication device on their person (pockets, backpacks, wearables, etc) while on school campus,” the policy states.

This will include lunch and passing periods, with staff “mandated to rigorously enforce” the policy.

The policy states that accommodations can be made for students with medical needs on a case-by-case basis.

Parents will be able to call the school’s main office if they need to contact their child during the school day. Students will also have access to “designated school phones” to contact parents.

The policy also details inappropriate use of devices that is not allowed, including bullying, sending sexually explicit messages and taking photos without consent.

Assistant Superintendent Joey Palmer said the policy comes after a test run at Vallivue Academy and Vallivue Middle School.

“(School administration) found their students could not focus because they were obsessing over non-academic or school-related matters that were facilitated by their phones,” Palmer wrote in an email. “As a result, Vallivue Academy put a new practice in place.”

The academy has students turn in devices every morning, a slight difference from the new district-wide policy.

Since the implementation, staff saw improvements in the school’s culture and students’ focus according to Palmer.

“The positive change cannot be overstated,” he wrote.

Vallivue Middle School had “high behavioral referrals” and saw multiple bathroom fights that were recorded and shared on social media.

The school began its device ban in 2019, requiring students to keep phones in their lockers. Since then, Vallivue Middle has seen improved student behavior and hasn’t held as many disciplinary hearings, according to Palmer.

This decision has sparked conversations online, with many Vallivue parents taking their thoughts to Facebook.

“I understand having a device close in case of emergency. I understand how convenient it is to track our childrens’ location 24/7,” Lisa Alexander Osler wrote on a VSD parents’ Facebook page. “However, our children are robbing themselves of opportunities for socialization by having their phones during social times. I fully support not only to eliminate devices in the classroom, but also during passing periods and lunches.”

Other parents voiced concerns about contacting their kids.

“I have had times where my kids have needed me during school for private issues,” Talia Sharee Gilbert wrote. “I understand during classes that phones should be put away, and discipline for not following that. I get that it is hard on our teachers! But break periods? Lunch? This seems a bit much.”

Overall, parents seemed to agree that excessive device use was not good for students. For some, being unable to reach their children in the case of an emergency was a greater concern.

Palmer noted that, while phones can offer a sense of security in emergencies, it can actually hinder appropriate responses. In the case of an emergency, Palmer said phones can spread misinformation and panic, distract students from safety protocols and interfere with emergency communications by overloading networks.

“We realize that the updated policy will not solve every problem, and we will need to navigate challenges that come with it,” Palmer wrote. “However, our hope is that the educational experience for our professionals and the students we serve will improve.”