New cell phone policy for 2026-2027

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids in MS now already have an ‘away for the day’ policy for the past 2 years, do this will be just a continuation of that policy. No big deal.

+1

MS is completely different than HS. There are so many more times you need to coordinate with a quick text the after school plans. High school does not have late busses everyday like MS.

You'll need to adjust how you handle and plan for post-school so your schedule is not constantly in flux then. Or train your kid to check texts as they litterally walk toward the exit doors

You're asking the impossible. I don't know of anyone who's able to manage after school plans without phone access during the day. Even my parents were able to coordinate with my grandparents during the day when they were in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids in MS now already have an ‘away for the day’ policy for the past 2 years, do this will be just a continuation of that policy. No big deal.

+1

MS is completely different than HS. There are so many more times you need to coordinate with a quick text the after school plans. High school does not have late busses everyday like MS.

You'll need to adjust how you handle and plan for post-school so your schedule is not constantly in flux then. Or train your kid to check texts as they litterally walk toward the exit doors

You're asking the impossible. I don't know of anyone who's able to manage after school plans without phone access during the day. Even my parents were able to coordinate with my grandparents during the day when they were in high school.

Sounds like we need to bring back the ole payphone. That’s the difference in this situation.

[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:

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.

My kid does meet his teachers during advisory and at other times, but he struggles in a lot of classes, so he may see one teacher during advisory and another after school.

Also, he will email his teachers at night/over the weekend about needing to meet, but they won’t get back to him until the school day.

I really don’t understand this. If the teacher requires email communication in order to allow a child to stay after school, then he needs to plan more than a few hours in advance. Ask on Monday night to stay on Wednesday. Email Friday morning to stay on Monday. If he’s waiting until the last minute to ask (and yes, 8 pm on Monday asking to stay on Tuesday is last minute) then yeah, it’s going to be harder to coordinate.

Sometimes things come up at times when a student may not be able to plan that far in advance. For example, if my child has trouble with homework over the weekend on an assignment they received on Friday afternoon that is due Tuesday, they will need to meet with their teacher on Monday. They contact the teacher over the weekend to arrange a time — whether it be during advisory, lunch, or after school — but if the teacher doesn’t respond until Monday, then my child may not know when they are able to meet until that day. My child is also on a 504 and sometimes stays after school the same day as class to finish an assignment. I support no phones in class, but not the banning of phones overall. My work is very close tot he school, so it’s easy for me to pick him up if he needs to be; however, the traffic is terrible going to the school from my house, so I would rather know before I get home whether they need to be picked up.

[Anonymous]

Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

Talking to people is hard, Barbie

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

That’s a complete waste of time and resources. So you expect him to miss class to go to the front office to use the phone? My kid doesn’t want the whole office knowing his business so doesn’t want to talk on the phone in front of anyone.

Expecting the teacher to reach out? Wtf? No, the kid can simply send a text during lunch. Looks like we will also have to get this added to our existing 504. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

That’s a complete waste of time and resources. So you expect him to miss class to go to the front office to use the phone? My kid doesn’t want the whole office knowing his business so doesn’t want to talk on the phone in front of anyone.

Expecting the teacher to reach out? Wtf? No, the kid can simply send a text during lunch. Looks like we will also have to get this added to our existing 504. Sigh.

You want cell phone use to be added to a 504? Unless the phone is being used as a medical device (such as for a CGM), there's a snowball's chance in hell a school is going to add use of a cell phone as an accommodation.

Please explain how use of a phone to contact Mommy is an educational accommodation. How it necessary for your child to access the curriculum?

Poor organization of the parents, such as not coordinating after-school plans ahead of time, does not warrant a 504 accommodation at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

That’s a complete waste of time and resources. So you expect him to miss class to go to the front office to use the phone? My kid doesn’t want the whole office knowing his business so doesn’t want to talk on the phone in front of anyone.

Expecting the teacher to reach out? Wtf? No, the kid can simply send a text during lunch. Looks like we will also have to get this added to our existing 504. Sigh.

You want cell phone use to be added to a 504? Unless the phone is being used as a medical device (such as for a CGM), there's a snowball's chance in hell a school is going to add use of a cell phone as an accommodation.

Please explain how use of a phone to contact Mommy is an educational accommodation. How it necessary for your child to access the curriculum?

Poor organization of the parents, such as not coordinating after-school plans ahead of time, does not warrant a 504 accommodation at school.

By the way, the reason I am so passionate about this is because I have a child with a 504 plan who requires actual accommodations to access the curriculum, and because of BS accommodations being added by other parents, it is very difficult to get educators to take my child's 504 plan seriously. Adding a cell phone "accommodation" in the absence of a medical need, is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

That’s a complete waste of time and resources. So you expect him to miss class to go to the front office to use the phone? My kid doesn’t want the whole office knowing his business so doesn’t want to talk on the phone in front of anyone.

Expecting the teacher to reach out? Wtf? No, the kid can simply send a text during lunch. Looks like we will also have to get this added to our existing 504. Sigh.

You want cell phone use to be added to a 504? Unless the phone is being used as a medical device (such as for a CGM), there's a snowball's chance in hell a school is going to add use of a cell phone as an accommodation.

Please explain how use of a phone to contact Mommy is an educational accommodation. How it necessary for your child to access the curriculum?

Poor organization of the parents, such as not coordinating after-school plans ahead of time, does not warrant a 504 accommodation at school.

By the way, the reason I am so passionate about this is because I have a child with a 504 plan who requires actual accommodations to access the curriculum, and because of BS accommodations being added by other parents, it is very difficult to get educators to take my child's 504 plan seriously. Adding a cell phone "accommodation" in the absence of a medical need, is absurd.

Just use email. Your kids can make a personal email address and email you from their computer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason he can’t go to the front office and call you or have his teacher reach out as they did prior to cell phones?

That’s a complete waste of time and resources. So you expect him to miss class to go to the front office to use the phone? My kid doesn’t want the whole office knowing his business so doesn’t want to talk on the phone in front of anyone.

Expecting the teacher to reach out? Wtf? No, the kid can simply send a text during lunch. Looks like we will also have to get this added to our existing 504. Sigh.

You want cell phone use to be added to a 504? Unless the phone is being used as a medical device (such as for a CGM), there's a snowball's chance in hell a school is going to add use of a cell phone as an accommodation.

Please explain how use of a phone to contact Mommy is an educational accommodation. How it necessary for your child to access the curriculum?

Poor organization of the parents, such as not coordinating after-school plans ahead of time, does not warrant a 504 accommodation at school.

By the way, the reason I am so passionate about this is because I have a child with a 504 plan who requires actual accommodations to access the curriculum, and because of BS accommodations being added by other parents, it is very difficult to get educators to take my child's 504 plan seriously. Adding a cell phone "accommodation" in the absence of a medical need, is absurd.

Just use email. Your kids can make a personal email address and email you from their computer.

My kids don't need to text or email me during the day.

We have been teaching our kids organizational skills, natural consequences, and responsibility since they were toddlers, so it wouldn't even cross their minds to contact me during school unless they were sick or injured ( in which case, the clinic or front office would contact me).

Lack of planning ahead and communicating plans means those plans do not get approved. Natural consequences.

[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:

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.

My kid does meet his teachers during advisory and at other times, but he struggles in a lot of classes, so he may see one teacher during advisory and another after school.

Also, he will email his teachers at night/over the weekend about needing to meet, but they won’t get back to him until the school day.

I really don’t understand this. If the teacher requires email communication in order to allow a child to stay after school, then he needs to plan more than a few hours in advance. Ask on Monday night to stay on Wednesday. Email Friday morning to stay on Monday. If he’s waiting until the last minute to ask (and yes, 8 pm on Monday asking to stay on Tuesday is last minute) then yeah, it’s going to be harder to coordinate.

Sometimes things come up at times when a student may not be able to plan that far in advance. For example, if my child has trouble with homework over the weekend on an assignment they received on Friday afternoon that is due Tuesday, they will need to meet with their teacher on Monday. They contact the teacher over the weekend to arrange a time — whether it be during advisory, lunch, or after school — but if the teacher doesn’t respond until Monday, then my child may not know when they are able to meet until that day. My child is also on a 504 and sometimes stays after school the same day as class to finish an assignment. I support no phones in class, but not the banning of phones overall. My work is very close tot he school, so it’s easy for me to pick him up if he needs to be; however, the traffic is terrible going to the school from my house, so I would rather know before I get home whether they need to be picked up.

+1

[Anonymous]

Apple Watch solves the problem

[Anonymous]

Good grief. I don't think I ever used the pay phone at my high school--long, long ago.

We set things up ahead of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apple Watch solves the problem

Those are banned too now. You can’t wear them at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good grief. I don't think I ever used the pay phone at my high school--long, long ago.

We set things up ahead of time.

+1