That’s not stopping school district officials from preparing for when children return to campuses in August.
One of their primary objectives is making sure all school rules get properly revised and advertised, so kids and teachers know what to expect. Topping the list for updates is cellphone use.
After the Legislature passed a new state law allowing districts to restrict phones in classrooms, school officials across the Tampa Bay area have proposed strict rules for the coming year. They include mandates that phones be off and out of sight throughout the class day, particularly in the elementary and middle grades.
The push and pull has come from all corners, including students, parents and educators who have shared widely varying views on the importance of phones. While some contend the technology has become too invasive and disruptive, others argue it is a fact of life that everyone must come to grips with.
The public will get a chance to influence the outcome in the coming weeks. The Pinellas County School Board tackles the issue first, with its initial reading of a proposed rule change set for Tuesday. Pasco starts its process on May 7 and Hillsborough on June 4.
PINELLAS COUNTY
Pinellas Superintendent Kevin Hendrick has introduced a proposal that would require students in kindergarten through eighth grade to keep their phones and other devices silenced and stashed away from the first bell to the last, unless a teacher gives permission otherwise. High school students would be allowed to use theirs during lunch and between classes.
Current rules discourage phones in schools but leave the guidelines to individual principals.
The district would carve out exceptions for students with documented special needs, and when emergencies arise.
Board members toyed with the idea of a full ban for high schools, too.
Board chairperson Laura Hine said at a recent meeting that she had been ready to “throw all phones into the river,” adding, “as a mom, I still am.” But she said after visiting schools and doing research, her view changed. She called for clear consequences when violations occur, and for schools to find ways to get students less focused on their phones.
Hine also suggested the district could offer lessons on how to be smarter technology users.
Board member Eileen Long shared that view. She spoke of a student who observed that when kids learn to ride bicycles, they don’t dump them after falling off.
“What a great comparison. You don’t throw the bike away,” Long said. “Teach them the dangers of some of the apps. Show them how a cellphone can be used safely.”
The board had no further discussion when it received the policy draft, which included some clarified definitions. It will hear from the public twice before taking final action.
PASCO COUNTY
In Pasco County, Superintendent Kurt Browning made no secret of his desire to remove phones from the school day at all grade levels. “We don’t need ‘em,” he told a crowd at the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa Bay in November.
A year earlier, he promoted rules barring phone use in elementary schools, while allowing them at lunch in middle schools and at lunch and between classes in high schools. After the school board approved those rules, Browning said he would support added restrictions for fall 2024.
Then he started getting feedback. High school administrators questioned the practicality of implementing such a rule, while students said they need to be prepared to manage their lives with cellphones, rather than be shielded from them.
“He definitely took stakeholder input,” said Melissa Musselwhite, district director of student services.
The recommendation going to the board would impose an off-and-out-of-sight rule for elementary and middle grades. But it would allow high school students to use their phones at lunch, and in classes for assignments with teacher permission.
Board vice chairperson Alison Crumbley said she could live with such a stance.
“The real crux of the matter is, are you cutting into learning time?” Crumbley said, noting that students would be held accountable if they are tardy because of phone use outside class.
She also viewed the issue as one of practicality: “What are you going to do? Have people police the hallways?”
Pasco plans to have a rule workshop on May 7, with a public hearing May 21 and a final vote June 11.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Hillsborough has been wrestling with the cellphone question for nearly a year and hopes to get a revised policy before the school board at a public hearing in early June.
To this point, schools have latitude in setting their own policies.
For the most part, elementary students must stash the phones during the school day. High school students use them frequently, sometimes for class lessons.
In middle school, the practices vary. Some do not allow phones during lunch and some allow them only before and after the school day.
At a work session in late March, some board members argued for continued autonomy in the schools while others wanted the rules to be consistent. There was also concern about students who use phone apps for medical reasons.
Their goal is to have an agreement and a policy in place before the new school year begins.
Staff Writer Marlene Sokol contributed to this report.
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