New cell phone policy for 2026-2027

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is disturbing how a significant number of parents on this thread are actively encouraging their children to break the cell phone policy. Worse yet, many are admitting to modeling sneaky behaviors to help their children bypass the rules entirely. ​Instead of supporting school staff, some parents are actively teaching their children how to operate in the shadows.

​Some parents admit to buying decoy phones for their children to hand over into classroom storage devices or Yondr pouches, allowing the child to keep their actual smartphone hidden in their pocket or backpack. When phones are successfully locked away, parents often condone use of alternative digital workarounds, such as using school-issued laptops to chat via shared Google Docs during lectures.

Some parents frequently text their children during school, expecting an immediate response, despite having full awareness of the "bell-to-bell" policy. When schools implement the state-mandated "bell-to-bell" ban, parents often balk, citing safety panics, despite the fact that every school has a front office fully equipped to relay emergency messages. ​By prioritizing their own anxiety or desire for constant contact over the school’s boundaries, parents are sending a clear, toxic message: Rules don't apply to us if they are inconvenient.

​Condoning and modeling the intentional breaking of school rules and state mandates is, plain and simple, poor parenting.

​When a parent helps a child smuggle a phone into class, they teach that child to view authority figures, such as teachers and administrators, not as leaders to respect, but as adversaries to outsmart. A child raised to believe they are above basic rules will struggle significantly when transitioning to higher education or "the real world," where defying policies carries swift, real-world consequences.

Like I said, it is, plain and simple, poor parenting.

ONCE AGAIN, FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK…IT’S JUST FOR LUNCH!

Get a grip!

The average high school student is not capable of switching back into focused school mode after staring at a phone screen for 30 minutes. The remainder of the class period after my lunch block is a nightmare of whining, behaviors, grumpiness, etc.

The most common use of the phone is not old school "check your text messages and put it away". It's check the alert, respond to mom's text, see a snapchat notification your friend sent from the bathroom, get sucked into writing messages back and forth for as long as friend can avoid being in class, navigate over to instagram, scroll for 15 minutes, and then put in earbuds and watch tiktok or youtube videos until the administrators shoo you out of the cafeteria. Then they come back to class (some, some detour to the bathroom to readjust their hair or hoods to try to hide the airpods they were using in the cafe before coming back) and I ask them to focus to do a task and they are detoxing from screens and they can't do it.

It isn't just getting a message from mom.

That’s what I mean by the good kids are getting punished with this rule. My kid is not average. My kid has zero social media and no airbuds. My kid doesn’t have trouble focusing back in class. My kid is a straight A student. My kid should be able to text me at lunch or see a text from me at lunch period. I don’t care what you or the law says.

Mine too, PP, but I'm still good with this rule. Because I understand that it's about something bigger than my high-achieving, rule-following kid. Not a punishment in the slightest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

Yes, of course it helps, but I doubt the school is that far out of your way that it's a huge issue to reroute, and your precious son can wait 20 minutes if takes you that much longer. I mean, everything people have mentioned sound like minor inconveniences. I'll take minor inconveniences over distracted kids and bullying any day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is disturbing how a significant number of parents on this thread are actively encouraging their children to break the cell phone policy. Worse yet, many are admitting to modeling sneaky behaviors to help their children bypass the rules entirely. ​Instead of supporting school staff, some parents are actively teaching their children how to operate in the shadows.

​Some parents admit to buying decoy phones for their children to hand over into classroom storage devices or Yondr pouches, allowing the child to keep their actual smartphone hidden in their pocket or backpack. When phones are successfully locked away, parents often condone use of alternative digital workarounds, such as using school-issued laptops to chat via shared Google Docs during lectures.

Some parents frequently text their children during school, expecting an immediate response, despite having full awareness of the "bell-to-bell" policy. When schools implement the state-mandated "bell-to-bell" ban, parents often balk, citing safety panics, despite the fact that every school has a front office fully equipped to relay emergency messages. ​By prioritizing their own anxiety or desire for constant contact over the school’s boundaries, parents are sending a clear, toxic message: Rules don't apply to us if they are inconvenient.

​Condoning and modeling the intentional breaking of school rules and state mandates is, plain and simple, poor parenting.

​When a parent helps a child smuggle a phone into class, they teach that child to view authority figures, such as teachers and administrators, not as leaders to respect, but as adversaries to outsmart. A child raised to believe they are above basic rules will struggle significantly when transitioning to higher education or "the real world," where defying policies carries swift, real-world consequences.

Like I said, it is, plain and simple, poor parenting.

ONCE AGAIN, FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK…IT’S JUST FOR LUNCH!

Get a grip!

The average high school student is not capable of switching back into focused school mode after staring at a phone screen for 30 minutes. The remainder of the class period after my lunch block is a nightmare of whining, behaviors, grumpiness, etc.

The most common use of the phone is not old school "check your text messages and put it away". It's check the alert, respond to mom's text, see a snapchat notification your friend sent from the bathroom, get sucked into writing messages back and forth for as long as friend can avoid being in class, navigate over to instagram, scroll for 15 minutes, and then put in earbuds and watch tiktok or youtube videos until the administrators shoo you out of the cafeteria. Then they come back to class (some, some detour to the bathroom to readjust their hair or hoods to try to hide the airpods they were using in the cafe before coming back) and I ask them to focus to do a task and they are detoxing from screens and they can't do it.

It isn't just getting a message from mom.

That’s what I mean by the good kids are getting punished with this rule. My kid is not average. My kid has zero social media and no airbuds. My kid doesn’t have trouble focusing back in class. My kid is a straight A student. My kid should be able to text me at lunch or see a text from me at lunch period. I don’t care what you or the law says.

Land the helicopter, mommy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

Your kid can always ride the late bus home or walk, or meet with the teacher during the advisory block, or send them an email to arrange a meeting ahead of time for the following day when they’ve had a chance to talk to you, or pop over during passing period, or ask if they can stop by during lunch one day, or or or…

All of these are strategies my students use.

Sounds like your kid struggles with planning ahead too. Maybe the rule will help both of you learn to communicate ahead of time. Sounds like a win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

Your kid can always ride the late bus home or walk, or meet with the teacher during the advisory block, or send them an email to arrange a meeting ahead of time for the following day when they’ve had a chance to talk to you, or pop over during passing period, or ask if they can stop by during lunch one day, or or or…

All of these are strategies my students use.

Sounds like your kid struggles with planning ahead too. Maybe the rule will help both of you learn to communicate ahead of time. Sounds like a win.

The late bus is one day a week only and it’s super late. Also if the student needs a bus, they cannot walk home. They are not in walking distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

Your kid can always ride the late bus home or walk, or meet with the teacher during the advisory block, or send them an email to arrange a meeting ahead of time for the following day when they’ve had a chance to talk to you, or pop over during passing period, or ask if they can stop by during lunch one day, or or or…

All of these are strategies my students use.

Sounds like your kid struggles with planning ahead too. Maybe the rule will help both of you learn to communicate ahead of time. Sounds like a win.

Another strategy is that my kid can quickly send me a text at lunch and save everyone time. Have fun fielding messages to your students in class!

[Anonymous]

This is much bigger than your perfect kid. My kid has no problem with his phone at school but I think it will be great for him to talk to kids at lunch and force other kids to talk.

Goodness sake! Maybe they will make more friends. I’m fine with this policy. It’s good for society even if your kid has it all figured out many don’t.

My kid can text me after school with any schedule changes. If he has to wait for me then so be it. He can play on his phone while waiting - HA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

You go to the school and get the kid.

How is that confusing to you? Why are you pretending like that scenario is complex?

It literally states on the website that early dismissals need to be arranged ahead of time and that if you just show up icons to just prick your kid up it could take 20 minutes to actually get your kid. That wouldn’t work. And we need to hear back from our kid if it’s ok for them to miss a class. If they have a test we wouldn’t want to schedule the ortho appohtment then.

You have to arrange that with the SCHOOL, not your kid. You don't need to text your kid to arrange it with them, you have to let the school know. That does not involve texting. You are seeking validation for your flawed view.

I’m starting to agree that parents on this website are not that smart. You can look at parentvue to find out when tests are. And if you miss one test you can make it up. I promise this is not the end of the world. The overall good of not having phones in school at all outweighs this once every 4 years inconvenience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

Is your kid that much of a rule follower that they won’t quickly check their phone at all, in the hall, in the bathroom, at lunch or between classes, even if this strict rule is in place? 99.9% of kids will still do that, even the ones who care and follow the rules. I don’t understand the anxiety on this thread. -hs teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

Is your kid that much of a rule follower that they won’t quickly check their phone at all, in the hall, in the bathroom, at lunch or between classes, even if this strict rule is in place? 99.9% of kids will still do that, even the ones who care and follow the rules. I don’t understand the anxiety on this thread. -hs teacher

If you’re ok with that, then it should be allowed at lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

This is an easy problem to solve, PP. Your student just goes to the office and gives you a call with an update. You're welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

This is an easy problem to solve, PP. Your student just goes to the office and gives you a call with an update. You're welcome.

I was in HS in the late 90s, this is what we did. There was a phone that sat on a table in the front office for that purpose. We lived without smart phones until 20 years ago. We can do this to benefit educational outcomes for our kids. Seriously, we can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids who sit alone and have no friends in their lunch period. They are the ones who now have to sit there looking around at other kids in groups.

And how exactly would staring at their phone during lunch develop their social skills? Maybe now they will look at a neighbor who is also sitting alone and figure out how to connect, develop their social skills, and improve their mental health. Screens are what got some kids into a pit of loneliness.

I applaud the district/state for trying to improve learning and connection, though I will miss being able to communicate a change in plans to my kid. Hope the main office is ready for the barrage of phone calls coming in to “please contact my kid about…”. And will they have a landline the kids can use to call home if needed? They can’t just cut parents off.

Every classroom and office has a landline in every school.

Kids will still turn their phones on immediately at the dismissal bell and see anything you’ve texted mid day, but schools also have always had procedures in place to contact kids in an urgent situation. I suspect once it is a smidgen of effort to contact kids, a lot of what seemed urgent to many of the parents will be able to wait until 3 pm.

It’s worked fine in middle schools where phones were completely restricted this year, it will work fine in high school too.

I'm a parent of a kid in another county with a ban. No the kids are not allowed to use the office phone or the classroom phones. If a parent calls the office with a message for your kid, they office policy is to EMAIL the kid. Which they will not get since they can't have their phones. It's a mess.

Clearly if there was a real emergency they would get ahold of your kid more quickly.

I applaud the school for emailing dumb sht like, “dad is going to pick you up instead of mom” or “don’t forget to walk the dog when you get home”. It can wait until 3:00 without issue.

Email can be accessed from laptops at lunch, texts can be read at 3:01.

you think laptops are out at lunch? no.

of course a true ER can get to my kid, but what about - the orthodontist can get you in at 1:30 pm to take care of that loose wire that's poking your cheek, so I will pick you up.

+1 this exactly. There are so many circumstances where my kid needs to check a quick text at lunch to solidify the after school plans. Waiting until 3 pm to be able to see it as they are rushing to the bus would not cut it.

Kids will adapt. Solidify after school plans the day before.

You’ve missed the entire point but no worries. We we all get around the rule.

The point is that you and your child are addicted to your phones and are really bad about making plans?

Sometimes plans come at the last minute. How hard is that to understand? My DS has had to stay after school to meet with a teacher on occasion; it helps when he can let me know before I leave work (I leave at 2:30) so I can head to the school instead of heading home.

This is an easy problem to solve, PP. Your student just goes to the office and gives you a call with an update. You're welcome.

And lose precious class time and waste the office staff time? No. My child can simply text me silently from lunch without disturbing anyone. Or just got to the bathroom and do it. They can’t enforce this.

[Anonymous]

Your kids can email you if needed.