Smyrna schools to restrict student phone use during class

SMYRNA — The Smyrna School District is introducing a policy for the 2024-25 year requiring students to place their cellphones and other personal electronic devices in designated areas during instruction.

The district joins Brandywine High School in enacting such a rule, which follows the state’s implementation of a voluntary $250,000 pilot program that provides phone storage pouches to schools.

Smyrna’s decision was made at the board of education’s July 10 meeting, with a letter subsequently sent to its families regarding the regulations.

“In consultation with district administrators, educators, staff and various studies, the Board believes that removing cell phones from the instructional portions of a student’s day is in everyone’s best interest,” the letter reads.

“Personal electronic device use will be available to students outside of instructional time. Being a one-to-one district means that every kindergarten through twelfth grade student receives a device for instructional use inside and outside of school. As such, cell phones and other personal electronic devices are not needed for instructional purposes.”

In an additional message to families Wednesday, Smyrna superintendent Dr. Susan Brown said emails and texts have been sent to the district community to share the reasoning for the decision.

She also noted that officials are gathering feedback from parents, students and staff about the change via an online questionnaire and that that information would be used to develop a collaborative device policy.

The survey will close at 4 p.m. Aug. 5 and can be accessed via the district’s Facebook page .

“The Board understands this will be viewed as a major change within the district, and as such, we will evaluate how it works throughout the school year,” the board’s letter continues.

“Parents and guardians, we need your support in helping your child/children understand that being without their phone for a little over an hour at a time has benefits to the learning environment and their overall academic success. Data also shows that limiting cell phone use can have positive benefits on student behavior, student mental health, and overall school safety.”

Meanwhile, Brandywine High has finalized its policy for the upcoming year.

“We have found that many of our students are distracted from our primary purpose by their electronic devices and that these devices can disrupt the educational processes of our classrooms,” school administrators wrote in a message to parents. “We also feel that it is important to help students understand that there are places and times (operating a motor vehicle, for example) when using cell phones is inappropriate.”

The high school will require students to turn off or silence phones and related devices, and place them in teacher-designated phone organizers, where they will remain for the full instructional period.

Brandywine will allow students to use their phones during their lunches, in the halls between classes and before and after school.

Per Brandywine’s policy, if a student is defiant, an administrator will collect the phone, which will either remain with him or her or be secured in an administrative office. Additionally, parents will be notified if a phone has to be confiscated.

If it is a student’s first time violating the phone policy, the device will be returned to him or her at the end of the class period during which it was taken. For any subsequent offenses, the phone will remain confiscated the rest of the day.

Another aspect of Brandywine’s policy is that, if an administrator deals with a specific student’s phone three times in one school week, the pupil may lose his or her ability to have the device at school.

A full statement regarding Smyrna’s new policy can be found at smyrna.k12.de.us .