<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1vM153_0viGylkf00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1vM153_0viGylkf00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Buy Now Sheldon High School principal Nick Miller goes over the update to the cellphone policy during the Wednesday, Sept. 11, meeting. Justin Rust jrust@nwestiowa.com</figcaption></figure>SHELDON—The Sheldon School District Board of Education took a step last Wednesday to ensure high school students will spend less time on their cellphones.Students currently must put their cellphones in a caddie when they enter a classroom at the high school and then can pick it up when they leave. They also may use their phone during open periods, study halls and lunch.But a new cellphone policy in the student handbook will go into effect in mid-October will limit the use even more.The school board last Wednesday voted unanimously to restrict the use of electronic communication devices and students must keep their devices in a location designated by the school 8 a.m.-3:20 p.m. This includes smartwatches.Specifically, students will place the phones in a pouch that has a magnet. The magnet acts as a lock and the pouch can only be unlocked in certain areas in the high school.High school principal Nick Miller, who is in his second year, has listened to recent recommendations about going the pouch route. He’s talked to the principal at Okoboji Middle School in Milford and a principal at Northrop High School in Fort Wayne, IN, — a school with more than 2,000 enrolled.“He shared those first couple days you’re going to find those logistics that you’re just going to have to iron out,” Miller said. “But he just shared really, really positive feedback for a really large, really diverse school system. So, that was encouraging to hear.”The pouches Miller is considering are by Yondr, but he had not ordered them yet until he received permission from the board.The students may keep the Yondr pouches on them, they just will not be able to access their cellphone. Miller said this was a better solution than the students leaving the phones in their lockers since not every high school pupil is assigned a locker since there is a shortage.“As we looked into all those pieces, that one constant was the pouch system that allows students to keep their phones on them but just limits that access to them. So, again, talking with those other administrators, the pouch is the novel piece to it just because it feels so new. But both of them shared that that does really become a routine as students enter and exit again,” Miller said. “Similar to going through the lunch line, similar to navigating the parking lot in the morning, it just becomes that routine of students popping the phone in the pouch as they come in.”There are exceptions to the rule.A student who has emergency services responsibilities or has documented medical or educational needs that require a cellphone may have access to an electronic communication device during regular school hours, provided the student has obtained permission from Miller to do so and provided the device is used exclusively for the student’s emergency responsibilities or documented needs.There are even consequences listed in the update to the handbook.On the first offense, a parent or guardian will pick up the phone or device. With a second offense, a student will have to turn the phone into the office for three consecutive days. A third offense will require the student turn the phone into the office for five consecutive days. A fourth offense will have additional consequences with up to and including a suspension.The middle school already has a policy in place where students leave their cellphones in their locker. Middle school principal Cindy Barwick said she will monitor the high school policy and see if it’s successful.Barwick also said cellphone violations are the most common ones she sees throughout the academic year with up to 40 violations a year.The transition at the high school to the pouch system would most likely happen around the transition from the first quarter to the second and the staff will be trained by Yondr on the pouches and unlocking devices.Board member Amy Sietstra said there is going to be some resistance from the students since they already have been under the current policy for the last few weeks. Freshmen have already had three weeks under a policy that gives them more freedom with their phones in schools and now will not have that privilege.“The timeline concerns me because now we’re going to have some resistance versus at the beginning of the year,” said Sietstra, although she later did not pause when voting in favor of the policy.Miller said the staff did a “really good job” communicating at the beginning of the school year that a policy was coming, and the first steps were taken late in the fourth quarter of the 2023-24 academic year to move to a stricter phone policy.“There are always question marks going into is,” Miller said. “It just takes going through those first days it is a change — a change in patterns for the students, for families, regardless of if it’s the first day of school or nine weeks into school. So, there’s that learning curve.”Students still will have their school-issued Chromebooks on them, so they can e-mail at any time.“During the trial run last year, I got an e-mail from Christian Richards, and I thought it was spam,” said board member Lori Richards, CJ’s mother. “He never e-mails.”Sietstra asked what students would do if there is an active shooter situation.Miller said safety is the top priority, and in those moments, the best thing for the students to have is an adult in that situation. The students also can send an e-mail from their Chromebooks.School administrators said limiting of cellphones also should help with students’ mental health.Barwick said “a lot” of issues with Snapchat have been taken care of during school hours since students do not have access to their phones.Assistant high school principal and activities director Eric Maassen said phones play a role in bullying in a number of ways, but access to those ways will be limited 8 a.m.-3:20 p.m.Board member Jessica Brink said her two sons — junior Dirk and freshman Jack — will “hate” the new policy, but she’s fully in favor of the new policy.“The information you provided is good for all the reasons that we’ve said. The positives outweigh the negatives,” Brink said. “Yes, there will be kids who hate it, but one of those videos that was shared, I recall specifically where a kid said they hated it, and they were going to start a petition. Then he’s like ‘It’s the best thing that’s happened at school.’“It will take a bit of a transition as with any change does, but the positive outcomes that we have to experience here are definitely worth it.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Sheldon high school changes cellphone policy

SHELDON—The Sheldon School District Board of Education took a step last Wednesday to ensure high school students will spend less time on their cellphones. Students currently must put their cellphones in a caddie when they enter a classroom at the high school and then can pick it up when they leave. They also may use their phone during open periods, study halls and lunch.