Cell phone policies in middle and high schools

[Anonymous]

Can people post the cell phone policies at their middle and high schools? I think it would be nice to have them in one thread.

[Anonymous]

I agree this is a good idea but might be better to wait until closer to the school year. I know some schools are changing their policies.

[Anonymous]

Wells takes cell phones at the door daily.
McKinley Tech has cell phone lockers.
Banneker has cell phone lockers.
Coolidge does not take phones.

[Anonymous]

Hardy takes them and puts them in a locker or a bag. They allow smart watches—DS had an apple watch and could text freely throughout the day, during tests, etc. It's the social media they don't want.

That said, some kids figured out how to sneak them through the front door by showing up a little late, while the admin and security were busy trying to work through the backup at the side door.

[Anonymous]

Sojourner Truth Middle School had the kids turn in their phones at the reception desk as they walk into school. I don't know what the policy was for high school students.

[Anonymous]

Inspired Teaching makes kids hand over (or turn off) their phone when they arrive.

Banneker requires kids to put their phones in special phone lockers and, IIRC, doesn't allow them to retrieve them until the end of the day (i.e. they can't get them at lunch.)

SWW allows cell phone use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree this is a good idea but might be better to wait until closer to the school year. I know some schools are changing their policies.

But this is helpful now to get a sense of the possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree this is a good idea but might be better to wait until closer to the school year. I know some schools are changing their policies.

But this is helpful now to get a sense of the possibilities.

Aren’t the only possibilities that cell phones are allowed or cell phones are not allowed out in classrooms?

[Anonymous]

Stuart-Hobson collected phones at drop-off/entry. Phones in lock box, kids got a ticket for their phone. Kids turned in ticket for phone at end of day. My kid would just give me her phone at drop-off since she got door-to-door pick-up and drop-off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree this is a good idea but might be better to wait until closer to the school year. I know some schools are changing their policies.

But this is helpful now to get a sense of the possibilities.

Aren’t the only possibilities that cell phones are allowed or cell phones are not allowed out in classrooms?

No, some schools confiscate on sight. Some schools have a place to put your phone upon entering a classroom. Some have special pouches that lock the phone in the school building. Some don't allow in class but do allow at lunchtime. Some have teachers that have the students use phones in class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Inspired Teaching makes kids hand over (or turn off) their phone when they arrive.

Banneker requires kids to put their phones in special phone lockers and, IIRC, doesn't allow them to retrieve them until the end of the day (i.e. they can't get them at lunch.)

SWW allows cell phone use.

Yes, no phones in school. They go into a cell phone locker until after school.

[Anonymous]

Jefferson has students turn them in upon arrival and they're locked until the end of the day. My kid has reported that there are consequences if you sneak it in and they see (but I don't know what they are). Apparently they're serious because my kid reports that all kids do actually turn them in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sojourner Truth Middle School had the kids turn in their phones at the reception desk as they walk into school. I don't know what the policy was for high school students.

This is technically true, but it wasn't really enforced. My kid said there were kids that still had them during the day. I attended some student presentations in the Spring and the kid in front of me was texting back and forth with someone via their Apple watch for the entire 15 minute presentation.

[Anonymous]

Great thread -- thanks OP.

Anyone know the policy at Eliot-Hine? It's our feeder and we have been wondering about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great thread -- thanks OP.

Anyone know the policy at Eliot-Hine? It's our feeder and we have been wondering about this.

Not a parent at EH, yet, but per the administration at EH, phones and watches are collected at the beginning of the day and returned at the end. At an event for prospective families this spring, current EH students said this was heavily enforced and many kids choose not to bring phones at all due to the hassle of waiting in line to drop them off in the morning.