Vt. school districts roll out new tactics to discourage cellphones
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Students scrolling, liking, and texting on their cellphones is seen as distracting and counterproductive, and some Vermont schools are workshopping new guidelines for getting phones out of students’ hands this upcoming school year.
“We feel like it’s the right time. You only get one shot per year to implement a new policy like this and we didn’t want to wait another year,” said Lamoille South Supervisory Union Superintendent Ryan Heraty.
After years of going back and forth on guidelines for phones during class hours, the supervisory union -- which includes Stowe High School and Peoples Academy -- decided to completely phase out phones during the school day. “Now, we’re starting to see the research really catch up that phones are causing anxiety, phones are leading to depression in students. As a state, we know that students are feeling higher levels of mental illness than other students around the country,” Heraty said.
An effort to ban phones and social media failed in the Legislature this past session, but many Vermont schools already have policies and rules about electronics in the classroom.
Harwood Union Middle and High School also enacted the no-phone rule for the year ahead.
Harwood student Atticus Ellis says he thinks the plan will help. “I think that students will focus more. I think that a lot of the upcoming freshman and sophomores use their phones a lot -- and even the seniors do -- and I think we’ll be a lot more productive as a school,” he said. “For the kids who were really addicted to their phones, I think it’ll be a change, but I think it’ll be a good one.”
Michael Wayman, a parent in the district, says ditching the phones will help reduce rampant online cyberbullying, phone dependency, and allow students to connect the “old-fashioned” way. “Lunch. Kids can sit there and they can’t have those conversations as much as they did. They’re on their phones, so it really robs them of that essential time where they can really get to know each other and develop those social skills,” he said.
However, some parents think phones are a good way for guardians to reach their kids in an emergency. “Sometimes it is really critical to keep in touch with their families and their parents because we see different families have different structures -- some are single moms, single dads -- so in that case it is critical. But they should not be used during the class time,” said Salin Uddin of South Burlington.
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