Votes against use of lockable cell phone storage bags; students will now face stricter consequences for violations
The District No. 2913 School Board on Monday chose tough love over cell phone pouches in its effort to keep smartphones out of the classroom.
On a 6-4 vote, the board favored a policy considered the least restrictive cell phone proposal for the upcoming school year — one that doesn’t include what are known as Yondr cell phone pouches. The guidelines are similar to the current policy, but consequences for violators will be more strict.
The board was presented with three other proposals Monday: a hybrid option where kids in grades 7-9 would have their phones in a Yondr pouch during the school day, while those in grades 10-12 would not (both come with a lunchroom exception); or, all students would pouch their phones except during lunch; or, all students would pouch their phone for the entirety of the school day, including during the lunch hour.
Because the board adopted the first proposal, no vote took place on the other options.
Voting in favor of the approved proposal were Ryan Verlinde, Taylor Hoffbeck, Jeff Knott, Adam Snyder and Scot Bowman. Voting against were Jay Fultz, Jody Bauer, Nikki Swanson and Chair Rod Benson.
The decision puts to an end, for now, the cell phone conundrum facing the board. As the vote indicates, the issue was a polarizing one, and board members had their chance to voice their opinions before the vote was taken.
Benson said he’s in favor of using the pouches, as some students could still figure out a way to keep their phones on them when they’re not supposed to.
“These things are too distracting and are limiting our ability to teach what we need to teach,” he said before the roll call vote. “I think it’s so natural that we have a phone in our hands, or in our pocket. It’s such a habit. It’s a big distraction in our classrooms.”
There are five levels of punishment for violators under the approved policy. For a first offense, devices will be kept in the office until the end of the day. For a second offense, devices will remain in the office during the day, and a parent or guardian must pick them up. A third offense results in detention, with no access to his or her phone or computer, and they must read a book and write a three-page essay.
A fourth offense means two-day detention, plus an essay, and the student will be prohibited from after-school activities for one week. A fifth offense could result in expulsion.
In May, the board approved spending $8,100 for 316 Yondr pouches to be used as a tool to limit cell phone use by locking them away. The pouches, that lock magnetically, were recommended by TAHS Principal Mandy Dibble, who informed the board that other schools have had success with them. Although Dibble is a proponent of the pouches, she stated her disapproval Monday of giving the students the ability to unlock them during lunch, saying it would most certainly cut into class time.
Board member Jeff Knott said, to date, the board has yet to receive any objective, evidence-base data that support the use of Yondr pouches.
“I’m assuming there is no data to support their implementation that’s better than any other cell phone policy,” he said.
Matt Knakmuhs, a parent of a student at the school, voiced his opinion at the start of the meeting, saying he believes it’s the students, not the school, who should burden the responsibility when it comes to cell phone use.
“Putting responsibility and accountability on the kids’ shoulders is an important thing,” he said. “To remove that … it stunts their growth as leaders, and it stunts their ability to lead others later in life.”
Knakmuhs said expecting the students to put their phones in pouches is antithetical to what they should be learning as they grow up. Students, he added, need to learn that getting in trouble has consequences.
“We’re asking them to do adult things, but we’re treating them like a 12-year-old at the same time,” he said. “If we’re going to expect these kids to act like adults, we should treat them like an adult.”
In other news from Monday … • The board approved the following donations: $1,373 from the Panther Booster Club for a backdrop and table show; a $10,000 grant from the Southwest Initiative Foundation for a STEM grant; $3,000 in grants from SWIF for summer recreation; and $2,700 from SWIF to put an AED at the preschool in Balaton.
• The board approved the hiring of Ester Ramirez for a cook position at the elementary school.
• Volunteer coaches this fall will be Alex Schuh, Brian Erbes and Austin Buchholz (football); Sara Dolan (volleyball); and Andy Nelson (cross country).
• The board approved a $15,260 expenditure to replace an exterior AG door in the welding shop.
• The board approved to allow free admission to athletic events for K-12 TAPS students. A parent or guardian must accompany each student to the games.
