Cellphone Ban at Wilton Schools Moving Closer to Reality

While it won’t be in operation for the first day of school, the plan to ban cellphones at all four Wilton schools, for grades K-12, continues moving forward.

“We’re not going to start Day One,” Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Smith told GOOD Morning Wilton on Aug. 13.

Instead, he said, surveys were prepared for students, parents and teachers. “Just to get some baseline data about perceptions around cellphone use … I didn’t want to foist this on, particularly the high school kids, without having an opportunity for them to think about it a little bit and then provide some feedback.”

The policy change will necessitate Board of Education approval and will likely be on the agenda at its Thursday, Sept. 5 meeting. Based in part on the initial response to the idea, however, which was broached by Smith at the end of the last school year, he is adamant that it is happening.

“Yes, we are moving forward,” he said. “And I feel very strongly about it. I think it’s the right decision.”

How will the proposed ban work? Stuents will have no access to cellphones in school from the first bell to the last bell — including lunch periods. In addition to phones being banned, students will not be able to have phones (both internet and non internet connected), airpods, earbuds and bluetooth connected headphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers and other accessories that connect to the internet. Students will still have access to their laptops and chromebooks.

“We’re anticipating that the kids are not going to enjoy the change,” Smith said. He explained, however, that based on what other school districts have experienced, the students will likely come around to appreciating, or at least accepting, the new lifestyle at school.

“There’s a fair amount of media over the last year, plus, about schools and districts that have introduced … cellphone initiatives one way or the other,” he said, “and the story arc — and virtually all of them (are) the same, you know — it’s a hard first month, and then … virtually everybody turns around and says, ‘Wow, you know, it’s really good.'”

“I anticipate that will be our experience here as well,” he said.

Smith first broached the subject with families and caregivers districtwide in an email that included the District Handbook and policies. He wrote that Wilton school administrators “spend innumerable hours investigating disruptive student online behavior that occurs outside of school. Our school counselors dedicate substantial time responding to student dysregulation as a result of online behavior and teachers report ongoing challenges maintaining student attention even with commonsense cell phone management practices in place.

Administrators are hoping that by implementing the policy, the district will help redcuce distractions and enhance academic focus, and will foster “an environment more conducive to focused learning and critical thinking.” They believe students will be better able to engage with their teachers and peers, resulting in deeper understanding and retention of the material.

Another benefit Smith sees is in promoting more interpersonal connection and face-to-face interactions during school hours, with the hope that it will counter social isolation.

Officials also hope to see improved mental health, believing that the constant connectivity enabled by cell phones can contribute to anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues among students.

Finally they are looking to reduce issues such as cyberbullying and inappropriate online behavior. “A cellphone-free policy encourages students to engage in healthier, more respectful interactions both in and out of the classroom,” Smith wrote in his communication to families.

In his communication with parents, Smith wrote that going cellphone-free sends an important message to the community about the harmful impact excessive cell phone use can have on students..

Statewide movement

On Aug. 21, Gov. Ned Lamont, in conjunction with the state’s Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, made a statement urging local districts to consider action that would restrict access to smartphones and social media during the school day, based on a policy-guidance document.

“All too often, our young people find themselves too distracted by their smartphones and disconnected from the reality of what is happening around them, including while in their classrooms, and it’s having negative impacts on their learning and mental well-being,” Lamont said in a press release.

Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, was also quoted in the release.

“Teachers are increasingly competing with cellphones for attention from their students and are seeing more students experiencing mental health crises triggered by their interaction with social media,” Dias said. “We welcome the Connecticut State Department of Education‘s initial guidance and look forward to working with our local district to create strong, clear and enforceable policies that minimize the use of cellphones and meet the needs of educators, students and parents.”

Smith noted that other area districts are beginning to explore options and that he has been in conversation with them. He said that while Darien and New Canaan will have bans up through middle school, and Westport is discussing the matter, Wilton will be the only one he knows of that will be going to a K-12 ban.

“Beyond this region, I know lots of other people are thinking about it, talking about it,” he said.

Some parents have expressed misgivings about the change, citing what they see as safety issues related being able to contact their children during emergencies, or the necessity for their children to have phones in hand in the event of dangers or other problems.

Others have noted that there are educational benefits of cellphones, especially at Wilton High School, for students who may need to take photos or retrieve information immediately.

Proponents, however, argue that the benefits of students being free from their phones, at least for the duration of the school day, outweigh the downsides.

Wilton resident Vanessa Elias, a local parenting coach and mental health activist, has helped spearhead the push to ban cellphones, consulting with Smith and others throughout the last year.

“Kids are not okay, and technology and social media are one of the main drivers,” she said. “Our kids have been guinea pigs and it’s clearly not working out.”

She said that schools that have put the bans in place have seen increased classroom performance, better academic achievement, and less anxiety.

“Teachers have been spending their classroom time policing instead of teaching,” Elias said, leading to frustration because students are ignoring the directives to stay off their phones.

She said that while there is an impression that having phones in hand makes people feel safer, research shows it has the opposite effect in emergencies, leading to false information, unwanted noise in a crisis situation, and a distraction from any directions that might need to be followed.

“Constant connectivity and tracking makes us feel safer, but it actually doesn’t make us safer,” she said. “Feelings are not facts.”

At this point, the district’s plan is to utilize the brand name Yondr pouches for phones. Phones are placed in these pouches that are literally locked upon entering the building but will remain in students’ possession. As they leave the building, students can then unlock the pouch.

The pouch is estimated to cost around $25 per student.

“My intention is somewhere, probably the first or second week of September, we’ll introduce these Yondr pouches,” Smith said.

“We have a little bit of work to do with that company to kind of map out the logistics … I’m just still, personally, just trying to get my head around, you know, 1,200 kids coming into this place and stuffing all their things in this lockable bag.”

“This will give us a little bit of time just to, you know, play with the logistics,” he said.

“I think we have a good plan,” Smith said.