The Conroe ISD Board of Trustees has approved new cellphone use guidelines for junior high and high school students to limit the time students use their phones during the day.
In August, the board agreed to put together a committee to review the district’s cellphone policy, as school officials said access to social media via phones and smartwatches has a negative effect on children.
The action came after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a call for action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families and young people to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children.
Lindsay Ardoin, principal at York Junior High, said the committee of 53 — made up of district officials, staff, parents and students — said the new guidelines approved Nov. 14 are in the best interest of the students on all campuses.
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The guidelines give campus administration the ability to adjust to fit the needs of their school, Ardoin said.
According to information provided by the district, the guidelines for junior high and high school students include limiting the use of phones during class, including when students are in the hallways, offices, restrooms, and locker rooms.
How cellphones and smartwatches are used during lunchtime and between classes will be left up to campus administration. The guidelines also prohibit cellphones and smartwatches to capture video, audio, or images at school or on the bus.
For high school students, teachers can allow for the use of cellphones for instructional purposes.
“High school (administration) wanted flexibility for teachers,” said Mark Murrell, principal of The Woodlands College Park High School. “Having that flexibility, we felt, was a necessity.”
Students wearing smartwatches would need to be on airplane mode. When devices are in airplane mode, they do not transmit wireless signals, Ardoin said.
“Those times before and after school, they would have access to answer text messages with their families,” Ardoin said.
Trustee Theresa Wagaman asked about the responsibility of parents to help guide their children through responsible cellphone use.
“We are putting a lot of responsibility on our teacher and administrators who do not provide the apparatus,” Wagaman said.
Bethany Medford, deputy superintendent, agrees with Wagaman and said the policy is crafted for what school officials can control on campus. She said the district will work with parents on ways they can help limit students’ time on their phones at school.
“We know that takes time, so for now, we are trying to equip our campuses with the confidence so they can go in and have a smooth day,” Medford said.
However, the process won’t be easy, Ardoin said.
“We can and we will enforce but there will always be a kid who breaks the rules,” she said.
Trustee Misty Odenweller said adding the guideline to prohibit the use of phones to record at school or on buses is critical.
“I think it is going to aid with safety,” Odenweller said. “A lot of the bullying is happening on video, a lot of the fights are being captured on video. I think there is a lot of protection that will come from that.”
