By Cherry Dumaual

At the September 19th New Fairfield Board of Education (BOE) Regular Meeting, a key agenda item focused on the importance of developing consistent cell phone policies across the three grade levels: elementary, middle school, and high school. Schools are grappling with the challenge of cell phone use among students and its impact on both education and mental health. The need for consistent policies is the result of the State Department of Education’s draft guidance on the issue, emphasizing the need for schools to align their practices to ensure effectiveness. A major concern driving these policies is the growing evidence linking excessive cell phone use to negative mental health outcomes, including addiction to smartphones.

Introducing this agenda item, Superintendent Dr. Ken Craw said, “What we’re going to do is, for each of our schools, highlight what expectations we have for students in each building. But then also, we feel that there’s an educational component around the addiction that phones create with students, and the ties that students and even adults have to their phones.”

Elementary School Campus Principal Allyson Story, started off the presentation, followed by the middle school and high school principals.

According to Ms. Story, elementary schools have implemented straightforward cell phone policies. Most young children in elementary school do not possess their own devices, which makes enforcement easier. The policy dictates that students must keep any devices they do have in their backpacks, with phones on silent mode from the time they arrive at school to the time they leave, including time spent on the bus.

Ms. Story remarked that younger students tend to be very respectful of the policy, ensuring that the learning environment remains undisturbed. Overall, the policy has been well-received and followed with minimal issues, highlighting the success of clear, simple rules in younger age groups.

In her presentation, Middle School Principal Karen Gruetzner shared that it has been easy at the middle school as well. She explained that they started the work at the beginning of last year, which involved calibrating as a staff and developing very consistent guidelines and expectations. She noted that the Board of Education policy already has made it very clear, thus they were able to anchor into that and put it in their handbook and newsletters every week. The policy covers no cell phones allowed from entry to exit. That means students’ cell phones are expected to be silenced and in backpacks — that includes lunch and transition times.

Ms. Gruetzner added, “The policy is only as good as the people implementing it. Our staff is absolutely phenomenal and really committed to make sure that they are consistently monitoring this and enforcing it, and there are spreadsheets where we are tracking offenses and we are holding students accountable”

She noted that the cell phone policy has “made such a huge difference. It’s also cut down on a lot of the drama that we see throughout the day, and students are socializing during lunch, which is such a beautiful thing, they’re making our cafeterias a little louder, but it’s good noise, and it has really made a big difference.” Another important point is the support parents have provided. There have been no complaints or pushback, which, Ms. Gruetzner said, has been a gift in and of itself.

The high school environment presents a more complex scenario when it comes to managing cell phone use. High School Principal James D’Amico explained that while high school students have more freedom, they are still subject to a well-defined cell phone policy. Students are allowed to use their phones during study halls and passing periods, but the responsibility for enforcement lies primarily with teachers during class time.

Although the policy generally works well, there have been instances where students refused to comply, requiring intervention from parents. Mr. D’Amico emphasized the importance of consistency in applying the rules and the need for continuous staff training to ensure that policies are effectively upheld. He noted that a few incidents, where students have refused to put their phones away, required parental involvement. There was a situation where they had to have a parent come because the student was completely noncompliant with the policy, which signaled the point of addiction.

He pointed out that school administrators and teachers running into class should not have their phones out because they serve as role models, especially for the high school students. He emphasized the need for consistency of the messaging and modeling.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kristine Woleck extended the cell-phone policy discussion to NF Public Schools’ broader wellness initiatives. She outlined a holistic approach to addressing the impact of technology and social media on students’ well-being. This initiative includes not only discussions with students about the dangers of excessive social media use but also parent-facing presentations to help families understand the role they can play in managing their children’s tech habits.

She discussed the plan for middle and high school students. “We are actively engaging in some conversations with professionals in the field to talk to students, student-facing friendly conversations about cell phones, social media, and the role of technology, and we would also be engaged in parent presentations. Those student conversations would be in middle school and high school. It’s where they’re most appropriate.”

As for younger students, the wellness committee also plans to help parents and families understand the role of play—play that is not technology-based. “Think about for young children, the role that play has in the development of a child, social skills, patience, conflict resolution, and how can we can help our families with younger children. Think about that as part of a more comprehensive approach here as well,” Dr. Woleck added.

The other new agenda item during the regular meeting included Dr. Woleck’s presentation of the educator Evaluation and Growth Plan. She shared that NF BOE’s educator and leader evaluation and growth plan was approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education. She proceeded to give an overview of the plan, which was based on new guidelines from the state to emphasize educator growth and professional learning, and also ensure that students are growing. Dr. Woleck reinforced the alignment of the educator evaluation system with the district’s strategic plan and the excitement among educators about the new system.

The next regular meeting of the NF BOE is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1.