The survey results, presented to the Board of Education by Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Nick Shockney Wednesday, are "valuable," Superintendent Cynthia McCabe said. The board is set to further analyze results and bring the topic up for discussion again at the July meeting, McCabe said.
Several school board members in March called for a more stringent student cellphone policy after hearing an overview of the system's current policy. Board member Donna Sivigny requested more feedback from the CCPS community at the March meeting.
There were four surveys given out, with questions that aligned with each other. Middle school students were asked up to nine questions, high school students up to 10 questions, parents/guardians up to 14 questions, and all staff up to 17 questions. A total of 1,047 staff, 3,823 parents or guardians, and 3,113 students responded.
Everyone surveyed was provided a copy of board policy JICJ, which governs portable electronic devices, and its administrative regulations, according to the presentation.
According to Shockney's presentation, generally speaking, student and family responders wanted to keep the current policy with no changes, while most of the staff who took the survey supported keeping current practices at the elementary level but only about half of staff supported current practices at the middle and high school levels.
About 97 percent of high schoolers who responded said there should not be a prohibition on cellphones during the entire student day, and 89 percent of high schoolers said current student access to cellphones at school does not interfere with their learning.
About 75 percent of teachers surveyed said a total prohibition on cellphones would result in fewer challenges in school, and 89 percent of teachers surveyed believed they could enforce a total cellphone ban.
About 37 percent of parents and guardians surveyed supported total prohibition of cellphone use at school, while 49 percent of staff supported a total ban.
Questions about student cellphone use on buses was split, with 40 percent of parents saying students of all levels should be allowed to use cellphones on buses, and 29 percent of staff agreeing. Shockney said the survey could not reach the system's bus contractors.
"This is a difficult topic," Shockney said. "There are lots of varying opinions on this topic, and no doubt about it, there are times where devices create challenges and concern, and other times where they may be of benefit, and it's difficult to develop a one-size-fits-all approach because students are different. They're different at each level, which is why with our current practices we have a differentiated approach."
The school system's current portable electronic device policy allows middle and high school students to use cellphones before and after school and during class if a teacher allows phone use for instructional purposes. High school students may use their devices in hallways and during lunch. Middle school students can only use their devices during lunch with administrator permission.
Generally, elementary school students are not allowed to use their phones anywhere but in classrooms, in the media center, and during field trips, unless otherwise directed by a staff member. CCPS highly recommends that elementary school students do not bring a cellphone to school.
Most (52 percent) of staff surveyed called for a change in cellphone policy or implementation at the high school level, compared to 30 percent of parents, according to the survey, while 69 percent of parents and half of staff surveyed approved of the current middle school policy. About 84 percent of parents and 81 percent of staff surveyed think the elementary school policy does not need an update.
Students were also surveyed, and 97 percent of high schoolers and 89 percent of middle schoolers responded that the school's current cellphone policy should continue. Shockney said he expected students to favor the current policy, but it is good information to have.
Some students may require use of a cellphone for medical reasons, which can be addressed through the school system's other established processes, Shockney said. Students with health issues or Section 504 and Individualized Education Plans, which require schools to make a "reasonable accommodation" for students with disabilities to allow them to participate in school, will be allowed to still use the devices in classrooms if the policy changes.
Chloe Kang, the nonvoting student representative on the board and a rising junior at Liberty High School, said a complete ban would be difficult to enforce because of how addicted some students are to their devices, but Kang supports reevaluating the policy to support teachers and students.
Board of Education President Marsha Herbert said parents too often break school policy by contacting their child during the school day.
"I think the problem is consistency," Herbert said.
One significant cellphone concern is students taking pictures and videos of each other in the hallway while in school, Board of Education Vice President Tara Battaglia said.
©2024 the Carroll County Times (Westminster, Md.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
