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Iowa City schools are currently working on new restrictions on cell phone use, but a final decision is not expected until October.
At the Iowa City Community School Board’s final meeting before the start of the 2024-2-25 school year, principals discussed the use of cell phones and other electronic devices during the school day. The work session was a continuation of discussions that began in the Iowa Legislature in January.
At least one county in Iowa has considered comprehensive restrictions on cell phone use.
ICCSD Superintendent Matt Degner said Tuesday that the board discussed the negative effects of intensive cell phone use, which will be detailed in the first part of the 2024 book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Redesign of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.”
A survey will soon be available to parents, students and school district staff. The survey will ask specific questions and will provide each group with the opportunity to provide free-form “narrative” comments.
The current policy varies depending on the building, school
A thorough Press-Citizen review of handbooks for elementary, middle and high school students at various ICCSD schools shows that there are sometimes large differences in cell phone use by school.
The most commonly used language allows students to use their phones regularly throughout the day.
“Students may use cell phones during recess, lunch, and in the study hall during class,” the policy states. “All phones must be put away and the ringer muted before entering the classroom. Phones used or visible during class may be confiscated by staff.”
Three of the four area high schools (Iowa City High, Iowa City West and Iowa City Liberty) use identical or very similar policies to those listed above. The fourth, Tate High, “has implemented a no-electronics policy in its 2024-25 student handbook” that prohibits use during school hours. If phones are “seen, heard or used,” students are expected to keep them in provided electronics lockers.
All three middle schools (North Central, Northwest and Southeast) also use the standard language mentioned above. The only elementary school handbook makes room for more extensive restrictions, allowing the use of all technology, including cell phones, only “with permission and under the direct supervision of a school employee.”
Penalties vary from school to school. It should be noted that some versions of the student handbook, posted online on August 14, cover the 2024-25 school year, while others cover the previous year.
Faculty may use mobile phones
According to school policy, teachers are allowed to use cell phones throughout the day to “ensure the effective and efficient operation of the school district and to ensure the safety of persons and property while on school property or during school-sponsored activities.” Teachers are also allowed to use their personal cell phones as long as doing so does not disrupt the school day.
Bus drivers are prohibited from using mobile phones while driving.
Employees who violate the policy face “disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.” The district’s website states that the superintendent or a designated staff member is responsible for developing “administrative policies relating to this policy.”
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Learning from professional research
In “The Anxious Generation: How the Redesign of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt examines the harmful nature of a “cell phone-based life” and suggests four solutions that parents, teachers, and others can use to minimize these side effects, according to an online list.
Degner said the discussion on site revolved around some of the positive and negative aspects of Haidt’s findings.
“We also talked about how this affects our schools, the frustrations we’ve experienced, the limited success, and the attempts to regulate cell phones in some way and the difficulties involved,” Degner said.
Further discussions will take place during school board work sessions, which Degner said the public can watch online. Recordings are typically posted on the school board’s website and YouTube channel within a few days.
The board will discuss cell phones again at its next meeting on August 27. The work session normally begins at 5 p.m., one hour before the official meeting at 6 p.m.
A final decision on mobile phone regulation is expected by October, said Degner.
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The Ankeny School District discussed stricter restrictions in July
The panel’s discussions are the latest in a nationwide initiative by school officials to restrict cellphone use in schools. On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom “urged all school districts to restrict smartphone use in classrooms at the start of the new school year,” his office said in a press release.
A June 2024 Pew Research study reported that 72% of high school teachers and 33% of middle school teachers say cell phone use in their classrooms is a “big problem.” In the study, more than 85% of teachers surveyed said their district has book restrictions, but 30% of them said enforcing those restrictions is “difficult.”
The Ankeny Community School District was already considering restrictions in late July, citing statistics that showed test scores and student well-being would improve if more restrictions were put in place.
Ankeny’s draft policy would require students to turn off all cell phones throughout the school day, including lunch and recess times, unless directed by a teacher or principal. Restrictions would also apply to the use of smart watches and wireless headphones.
The use of mobile phones is also prohibited on the bus to and from school and during extracurricular activities such as sports training, clubs and music concerts.
Restrictions would be relaxed for students who use their devices to monitor their health (e.g. diabetics) or who use their devices for translation services.
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Chris Higgins of the Des Moines Register reported on the plans being discussed by the Ankeny Community School District.
Ryan Hansen covers local politics and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
