GDS Phone Ban

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure what the other schools policies are however the key to this is to check the phones in, not just have kids keep them in their lockers.

[Anonymous]

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!

[Anonymous]

Maret allows phones and from our tour there the kids use them nonstop.

[Anonymous]

Great article, but agree that GDS is neither first nor alone here.

[Anonymous]

Well done. Hoping our big 3 school will soon follow.

[Anonymous]

Good on Russell Shaw and GDS for taking this step! And to those complaining that GDS isn't at the forefront of this movement, you're right. But GDS has connections to The Atlantic (the EIC was a GDS parent), and the readership eats this kind of article up.

Tl;dr: Let them have this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS HS parent - I'm a huge fan of this.

Historically, GDS enforcement has been a mixed bag on other things. Will be interesting to see how they do it here. What are the penalties, the warning, etc?

The DCC process is widely written about here as being capricious so perhaps there's another way for repeat offenders

The full policy Q&A is here https://www.gds.org/hs-phone-policy

Thanks for including the policy FAQs—as a GDS lower school parent, I am so happy Russell is doing this, but after reading the policy questions, I wish they were a bit more stringent. It feels like locking the phones away would be a better path forward, and would therefore eliminate teachers having to spend time on enforcement. I also wish they’d include smart watches in the ban…

[Anonymous]

Agree

Also wish no laptops or iPads out during lectures or shut off wifi. Only for actively working on projects or group work that require a computer or internet.

All you need is one kid surfing around or even playing a game and 10 pairs of eyes are watching that instead of the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Bullis enacted its Upper School ban on phones last year. Phones had been banned in the LS and MS for some time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS HS parent - I'm a huge fan of this.

Historically, GDS enforcement has been a mixed bag on other things. Will be interesting to see how they do it here. What are the penalties, the warning, etc?

The DCC process is widely written about here as being capricious so perhaps there's another way for repeat offenders

The full policy Q&A is here https://www.gds.org/hs-phone-policy

Thanks for including the policy FAQs—as a GDS lower school parent, I am so happy Russell is doing this, but after reading the policy questions, I wish they were a bit more stringent. It feels like locking the phones away would be a better path forward, and would therefore eliminate teachers having to spend time on enforcement. I also wish they’d include smart watches in the ban…

If they’re allowed to keep their phones in their backpacks (and smart watches on) they’ll still be on them. Far more than teachers/administrators will know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS HS parent - I'm a huge fan of this.

Historically, GDS enforcement has been a mixed bag on other things. Will be interesting to see how they do it here. What are the penalties, the warning, etc?

The DCC process is widely written about here as being capricious so perhaps there's another way for repeat offenders

The full policy Q&A is here https://www.gds.org/hs-phone-policy

Thanks for including the policy FAQs—as a GDS lower school parent, I am so happy Russell is doing this, but after reading the policy questions, I wish they were a bit more stringent. It feels like locking the phones away would be a better path forward, and would therefore eliminate teachers having to spend time on enforcement. I also wish they’d include smart watches in the ban…

Yes—I want to know which schools are taking and locking the phones vs the ones that just have a ban but kids still have their phones in their lockers.

[Anonymous]

Agree - I didn’t read the article but if the phones aren’t being locked away I kind of think an article about telling the kids to keep their phones in their lockers is a publicity stunt - so it doesn’t surprise me there is a GDS/Atlantic connection. Which schools have the phones locked away?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Agree - I didn’t read the article but if the phones aren’t being locked away I kind of think an article about telling the kids to keep their phones in their lockers is a publicity stunt - so it doesn’t surprise me there is a GDS/Atlantic connection. Which schools have the phones locked away? [/quote]

If you lock the phones away they get bricks or burner phones.

[Anonymous]

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!