Students are less disruptive and paying more attention in class after the Chesapeake school division banned phones and personal devices this school year, officials said.
The division revised its policy and regulations around the use of phones, tablets and other personal electronics last summer. Before the change, students were allowed to use them for classwork if teachers allowed. The new rule requires devices to be off and put away — in a bag, locker or vehicle — during school hours. High school students were allowed to use them during lunch, but officials said they likely will remove that exception next year.
An increasing number of school districts across the country have instituted cellphone bans, as youth mental health deteriorates and some research indicates that being “hyperconnected” could be a leading cause. Chesapeake Chief Technology Innovation Officer Jeff Faust said the division made the change for several reasons, including after reviewing research on phones’ detrimental impacts on youth development.
But phones also were causing on-the-ground problems, such as distracting students from their lessons. School officials also said data showed that they were a frequent factor in behavioral incidents — students were using cellphones for planning meetups in the restroom or organizing fights. School officials don’t have direct data concerning cyberbullying but know it has been a problem.
So the ban, Faust said, comes down to creating an environment conducive to learning.
“A cellphone creates a playground with no fences, no boundaries, no borders. And our kids are very, very good at getting out, going where they want to go. If they’re mentally somewhere else, if they’re not present in school because of stuff going on on social media, because of stuff going on with their peers, because of stuff going on in their family, then those kids aren’t in the right mindset to learn.” he said.
Virginia Beach instituted a similar policy in the summer of 2022 as teachers and board members at the time noted the disruptiveness phones caused in the classroom. Other Virginia school divisions also have moved toward more restrictions, including Fairfax County and Richmond.
Schools have made changes because students no longer need personal devices for instruction. During the pandemic, many divisions, including Chesapeake, rolled out school-issued devices to all students.
A small number of parents initially expressed concerns about the policy, Faust said. But he has had 10 times more positive feedback about the ban.
“I think that parents generally are starting to have serious concerns about their own children’s access to phones,” he said. “Overall, the sense has been one of relief that the kids can come to school, be at school, learn, be with their peers, connect with their curriculum, connect with the teachers in a meaningful way, without that phone being part of that experience.”
Chesapeake principals say they have been happy with the new policies.
Keith Hyater, principal at Greenbrier Middle School, said one of the biggest improvements is the consistency the rules create. Previously, there were different school “zones” — red where phones were not allowed and green where they were. Some teachers allowed their use, others did not. For middle school students, consistency is important, he said.
“When expectations are clearly defined, students know what they should and should not be doing and this allows them to be more successful students,” Hyater said.
The high school level is also seeing improvements. Jeff Johnson, principal at Great Bridge High School, said it’s hard to keep students on task when they’re on their phones.
“Teachers are ecstatic about it,” Johnson said, because they’re spending less time asking students to put devices away and making fewer referrals for discipline issues.
Johnson said he expects to see improvement in discipline and achievement data this year.
The policy also benefits students by allowing them to “come back into the real world a little bit and have personal conversations with people,” he said.
“That’s a skill in itself that I think our kids may be losing.”
Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com
