In split vote, board bans cell phones at LR Schools again

From the starting bell in the morning to the end of the school day, Lake Roosevelt students will no longer be allowed to use their cell phones — not even at lunch — a change intended to reduce distractions, bullying and other discipline issues.

In a 3-2 vote, the school board Monday night agreed with staff members who advocated for the formal change, citing statistics about student learning and cyberbullying, and personal anecdotes of the discipline challenges that can easily distract a room full of students or lead to harassment of students by their peers.

“It’s not good to have them in the kids hand, it’s not good to have them on their bodies, it’s not good to have them in the classroom,” said teacher Pam Johnson, who noted other districts are coming to the same conclusion.

“As a teacher, I would rather break up a fight any day of the week than take a kid’s cell phone who doesn’t want to give it up,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of like looking at somebody with a drug who’s addicted to it, and terrified that you’re taking it away. When you talk about stress and teacher retention, this is a big deal.”

Board chair Rich Black said for him it comes down to two factors: student achievement and school safety.

“To me, this is not an emotional decision,” Black said. “It’s based on data.”

However, two members ended up voting against the motion to change policy, with Alex Tufts the most outspoken against placing additional limits on phone access.

“Some people need the mental health break that a phone provides,” Tufts said. “It’s zoning out and getting away from real world issues.”

Shannon Nicholson was the other nay vote, but the motion passed with support from Black, George LaPlace and newly-sworn-in member Buffy Nicholson.

The two student representatives on the board also spoke against the restriction, but they are not voting members.

“If someone wants to bully someone, they’re not going to reserve it for school hours,” said student rep AJ Cannon. “They’re going to do it at home.”

Students also said they use their phones to contact their parents or text friends for mental health support as well.

The policy went into effect on the first day of school, August 27, and applies across grades K-12.

A similar ban had been in effect for a couple years, but “slippage” in enforcement had occurred and the policy needed adjusting, staff members had told the board in June.