GDS Phone Ban

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why they have to check in and check out / either they are at first period or they aren’t??? Do schools not take attendance anymore? Asking seriously as I have no idea. My oldest is about to start 9th grade.

I think at my older DCs HS they sign in when they arrive and if they leave they need to sign out. I never asked them about class attendance, but I also think it was listed on the school's attendance how many classes were missed (in addition to how many days) - so each teacher must have had some way of taking attendance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why they have to check in and check out / either they are at first period or they aren’t??? Do schools not take attendance anymore? Asking seriously as I have no idea. My oldest is about to start 9th grade.

Schools need to know which students are in the building so they can account for them during a lockdown or fire.

[Anonymous]

What is the policy change at GDS?

Our school already does not allow cell phone use during the day, or watches, and they “must” be in backpack/ locker. But others have pointed out this is tricky to enforce. At our school if it is seen and taken away a parent must retrieve, so at least some consequence.

I would prefer they are physically taken away/ put in locked bags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huge public school systems are doing this. Many area private schools are too. GDS is not ahead of the curve. They’re just louder about it.

Well written, powerful article in the Atlantic. Good job!

It’s a good sentiment in the article but a little light on specifics.

[Anonymous]

Unless GDS is also changing its policy on laptops in classes this will have minimal impact. My DD shared that when this happened at her school the kids started using messenger and other apps during class time and during breaks on their laptops. If they are not considering these other steps than it simply sounds great but actually creates other issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t like phone bans for hs. I have a recent grad and there were times we needed to be in touch and going through the school office would have been a pain. If you are just about ready to be in real world then the real world includes phones. I totally get bands for younger years but not hs. I also think it will drive kids to overuse phones after school. I have come to believe being too strict on anything has unintended consequence.

I'm with you. If there is an emergency I want my kid to have the phone in his bag.

I'm a teacher and have a basket in the front of the room for any phones I see come out. Otherwise they can keep them in their bags. I find laptops to be more troublesome!

How many times a year -- or in a high school career, possibly -- will you have an emergency that requires immediate comms? Zero would be my bet. But you'd trade the very slight possibility of an emergency for four years of a focused high school education.

Got it.

[Anonymous]

Did GDS allow high school students to use phones in class before the new policy?

[Anonymous]

nothing is enforced at gds. they have such good college placement that they don't need to worry about that kind of stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the policy in high school at sidwell, Maret, NCS, and STA?

Any answer about these schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:nothing is enforced at gds. they have such good college placement that they don't need to worry about that kind of stuff.

(a GDS parent)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did GDS allow high school students to use phones in class before the new policy?

No. But I think it was up to each teacher to decide how to handle it. Some required them to leave their phones on a table in the front of the class; some just needed them out of sight. Not sure what they did if someone disobeyed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:nothing is enforced at gds. they have such good college placement that they don't need to worry about that kind of stuff.

(a GDS parent)

Thank you. I wondered if we were going to let that comment sit there without any pushback.