CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (August 19, 2024) — Samantha Campbell, an eleventh-grader at Clayton Valley Charter High School, packs the usual essentials like most high school students do every morning: notebooks, textbooks, a water bottle and, of course, her cellphone. But the latter could cause the gang to abandon her if the Mt. Diablo Unified School District follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to implement an Assembly bill restricting cellphone use by students during the school day.

When school bells ring in local schools this fall, the chirps and pops, along with Taylor Swift’s lyrics hinting at an important lyric, may not be heard — at least not in many middle and high schools in Diablo Valley.

Most schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, as well as the private high schools De La Salle and Carondelet, already restrict cell phone use in the classroom. “I feel like we’re ahead of the curve,” says Alison Sparks, director of operations for the Ugly Eagles.

At CVCHS and many other schools, students must hang their phones in a large, pocketed hanger on the wall when they enter the classroom so they don’t end up on their desks.

“We don’t like students having cell phones in their hands,” Spark says. “If there is an emergency and a parent is trying to reach their child, they can call the office.”

Students can pick up their phones after class and use them during recess, brunch and lunch.

Cellphone-free campus

However, some local schools are going further. Both Ygnacio Valley High School and Mt. Diablo High School in Concord restrict all cell phones on campus. The same is true of St. Agnes Middle School.

According to Liz Mangelsdorf, MDHS assistant principal, the school will be a cell phone-free campus, meaning students will not be allowed to use cell phones during the school day. They will use what is called the Yondr program. Upon entering campus, students will be required to place their phones in the bag provided by the school and pack that bag in a backpack. These phone bags will be locked upon arrival and unlocked at the end of the school day.

This is in response to Newsom’s plan to restrict cellphone use in schools. He had passed a law in 2019 that empowers school districts to restrict or ban student cellphone use in school. He recently said he plans to build on that law – Assembly Bill 272 – to further restrict student cellphone use in school, but offered no specific plans.

“I look forward to working with lawmakers to limit smartphone use during the school day,” Newsom said in a statement. “When children and teens are in school, they should be focused on their studies – not their screens.”

Most teachers seem to agree, says Northgate principal Kelly Cooper. Two years ago, Cooper tasked two teachers with using the “bag” system in their classrooms. It was so successful at keeping students focused on the lesson that she implemented it throughout the class.

“It means the kids are less distracted. They can’t communicate with their friends during class, and our teachers have said they’re seeing less cheating, problems between students, and fights on campus.

“It will also alleviate the anxiety of some students who are already online so much.”

Parents

But does it also alleviate parents’ fears? Cooper, who has two teenage children – one with type 1 diabetes – says that’s not the case for her.

“They know how to reach me,” she says.

She also firmly believes that she would support a daily cell phone ban in all schools, such as YVHS and MDHS.
“I would apply for a mandate,” she says.

Cell phone use is common in many private schools, such as St. Agnes and Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek.

“It makes a huge difference, both in and out of the classroom,” says Amy Casey, a Spanish teacher at Seven Hills Middle School. But some of the students she teaches outside of class hours strongly object to it.

“They don’t want to lose that privilege,” she says. “But I’m 100 percent in favor of it. But that applies to all devices in the room, like computers and iPads. I don’t want them to use GoogleChat or other means of communication and not follow the lesson.”

opposition

Unlike Casey and Northgate’s Cooper, many parents are against a general ban on cell phones during class.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think there should be a ban,” says Beth Campbell, president of the CVCHS Parent Faculty Club and Samantha’s mother. “I think there should be guidance and direction for all students and teachers.”

On one hand, Campbell wants Samantha to be able to reach her in a threatening situation, like an intruder on campus or a fight breaking out in the classroom. On the other hand, she doesn’t want other students filming a fight or embarrassing encounter that ends up on Tik-Tok.

“For my students’ safety, I want them to stay in the classroom,” she says. Still, she recognizes that it’s difficult for students to tell on their classmates when they misbehave, which is why she supports the “pocket log” that many schools use.

She’s also heard of other deterrents used in other districts, such as the “three-violation rule.” If a student is caught misusing a cell phone in the classroom more than twice, he or she must turn in his or her phone to the principal and pay a hefty fine to get it back.

Newsom’s announcement came after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms warning that social media use can harm teens’ mental health.
Samantha is more relaxed about a total ban than her mother. “If it happens, it happens. I’ll just read a book or something.”

Peggy Spear

Peggy Spear is a journalist and writes regularly for the Pioneer.