What You Told Me About Cell Phones

At the end of September, I posted a column titled 'Smartphones in School'. In it, I shared that the school board was contemplating a change to our cell phone policy. At the end of the article was an invitation to complete a brief survey and share your thoughts. As anticipated, there were varied opinions when it comes to the use of cell phones in schools. Clearly, this will take much thought and deliberation on the part of the board. However, I want to assure you this conversation is ongoing and the board is taking all feedback incredibly seriously. They are committed to doing the right thing. At our next board meeting, they will hear from the administrators. Among other questions, they are interested in hearing about the enforceability of any such change in policy. Further, our teachers are eager to hear more about how a policy will work. Many of you have posed these same questions. In fact, an email that I received from a parent over the weekend underscores that point. The email was clearly in the camp of no cell phones in schools, but wondered rhetorically, 'how will you successfully implement'? Great question. In my view it comes down to planning and communicating. No surprise. That squares with the reading I have been doing on this subject.

Part of what I'd like to do today is provide some of that communication as to where things currently stand. We'll discuss the questions that have been raised and consider possible solutions. You'll also be able to learn, in broad strokes, what the results of our survey were and hear what themes have emerged. A bit of a teaser: the opinions are diverse!

Before I get into some of feedback we received, I'd like to once again renew my invitation to read the book 'An Anxious Generation' by Jonathan Haidt. Both our administrative staff and school board are studying this work, and it is quite eye opening. Haidt makes the argument in his book that Smartphones have provided ubiquitous access to social media, video games, and other internet activities and led to something he refers to as 'The Great Rewiring of Childhood'. This rewiring is the single largest reason for the increase in mental illness in teenagers.

If the book isn't your speed, perhaps a short article is more to your liking? Check out this article in Education Gadfly where it was reported that 72% of high school teachers said cell phones were a major problem in their classrooms. Our high school instructors and administrators would agree. Not only that, our internal data would suggest that the root of many disciplinary issues in our school can be traced back to someone making a comment or posting a picture on social media that caused a disruption. In fact, if you remember the student incident(s) that I reported to you in September: both originated online. Further, in just the last couple of weeks we had an incident where an online comment resulted in an off campus physical altercation resulting in injury.

Now then, about that feedback. As a baseline, 63% of respondents believed that our cell phone policy needs to be strengthened. Among those, many commenters opined the idea that cell phones are in fact a distraction, and that personal interactions with peers would be much healthier. Another shared that [they] had seen [media] reports that by not allowing phones to be used during lunch and passing time; it increased face to face interaction in a positive manner. They went on to wonder if the use of Smartphones, coupled with iPads during the school day had a negative impact on brain development. Many simply stated that there is no reason kids should have cell phones in school. Another claimed that if they [students] need to contact a parent, they can use the phone in the office. One respondent simply stated, 'Anytime cell phones are present, they are a distraction. Even if they are 'put away''. Another said that students need personal interactions, not 'canned' social media.

Some of you, well 37% disagree. The reasons in this case though, were not quite as varied. A consistent theme throughout these comments centered on this idea that kids need their phones to communicate with parents throughout the day. Dovetailing off this comment is the thought that some view the phones as a safety feature, particularly pointing to instances of school violence. Another commenter believes students need breaks during the day where they can access their phones. A few mentioned that the focus should be on addressing the outliers. In other words, don't punish everyone. Along that same vein one opined that in their world of work, that trust was given until there was a reason not to.

As you can see, the opinions on this issue are almost as varied as the number of respondents! The one through line however, regardless of whether someone believed the policy should be strengthened or not- is the idea of consistency. There seems to be a belief that some teachers do an adequate job of enforcing the current policy where others do not. Furthermore, there was a claim that some teachers go further than what the current policy requires.

In my view, I see value throughout the data set. At the same time, I do believe there is merit in strengthening our current policy. While I can appreciate the opinion that some view cell phones as a safety issue, I would gently push back on the idea that if parents need to reach their kids during the day the only vehicle in which to do so is via a cell phone. It may be the easiest way, but not the best. I might suggest if parents need to reach their kids during the day, they can always contact the office. Frankly, it's much better if that were the norm anyway. At the same time we have to be careful about allowing our devices, whether they are Smartphones or iPads, become a replacement for human interaction. Have you ever watched people at a restaurant waiting for their meal to arrive: while scrolling through their phone. The research is very clear: this 'rewiring' is real and it is having a detrimental effect on adolescent brain development. 

I promise this won't be the last time you hear from me on this issue! The board's conversation and deliberation will continue. At our next meeting, the board will hear from administrators and have an opportunity to weigh in on some draft policy language. Please reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns, or additional thoughts as we navigate this issue.

Remember Public Education When You Vote

Have you heard? We have an election coming up next week. If you haven't, then you are probably one of the lucky ones who hasn't been inundated with text messages. I checked the spam filter on my phone and counted 36 text messages from last Thursday alone reminding me to vote or asking for money. 

Now, while the focus is at the federal level and on who the next president will be, it is paramount that we consider the down ballot races as well. What happens at the federal level is important, but what happens at the local level is likely to have a greater impact on your day to day lives. 

As you contemplate all of these contests, I would encourage you to reflect on the work of the state legislature over the last two years. Consider the issues they have tackled, and those they have not. Do they match your value system? Do they not? Then vote accordingly. For me, it is important that we have elected officials that understand and value public education. And by the way, saying so and doing so are two very different things. Based on the actions of our legislature over these last two years, some of the policy decisions that have been made makes me question the value placed on public education.

In the past, when the legislature was in session I carved out time in my schedule to make the trek to Des Moines and meet with our lawmakers. I felt that it was my duty as a public school superintendent to share information that I believed was helpful when shaping policy. I wanted them to understand the pros and cons of their proposals, help make them better, and in some cases advocate for the legislation not to move forward. It used to be time well spent and impactful. I don't do much of that anymore. Quite frankly I don't think they are interested in what I have to say because my advocacy (and most of my colleagues) is ineffective and fails to resonate.

To be honest over the last several years, I have not looked forward to the legislative session and find it to be quite stressful. What once was viewed as an opportunity to improve our public schools has now become a white knuckled ride, waking up each day and wondering: What are they going to do to us next?

Even so, when I head for the ballot box there are a few things that are top of mind, particularly when considering education policy in Iowa.

First, and most important is a call to protect our AEA system. You may recall sweeping legislation that was enacted last year which fundamentally changed the operational posture of the AEA. It mandates a mission that is more centered around special education compliance. This is a departure from the original charter of the organization, removing some of the educational and media services that local school districts had come to rely on over the years. It hastened a departure of staff and made efforts to recruit replacement staff challenging. Help was only a phone call away. Granted, that same help is [still] now only a phone call away: for a fee. This was a significant piece of legislation, one that we would have been wise to study and debate more thoughtfully prior to enactment. We are just at the starting gate of fully understanding the consequences of this massive overall of the statewide Area Education Agencies, and prior to any further changes we must be thoughtful. In every way, this legislation has made work in local school districts, particularly those in small rural communities more difficult and costly. 

I worry about adequate and timely supplemental state aid. To remind my readers, supplemental state aid, or SSA, is the percentage by which the state cost per pupil grows annually. It is required to be settled within 30 days of the beginning of the legislative session. Our wish is that it is set timely, and that it is adequate. Our legislature does not have a good track record. The growth rate has hovered around 2% for more than a decade and is rarely set on time. Very few costs in a school budget are growing at 2% or less per annum. To meet these constraints, many school districts delay curriculum acquisitions, understaff or eliminate supplementary programs, or suppress employee wages; creating shortages throughout the industry. Now to the legislature's credit, they worked to increase teacher wages and have set in motion a plan that increases the base rate for teachers to $47,500 for the current school year and $50,000 for the next school year. I applaud this decision! It was an incredibly heavy lift and took a lot of time during the last legislative session, which unfortunately further delayed setting the SSA rate. However, I would argue that had SSA not been artificially depressed over the last decade, we wouldn't have been in a position where such a huge infusion of capital all at once would have even been necessary.

The question now is whether or not this is sustainable. It may have been an easy 'yes' had this same legislature not implemented an ESA program. Couched under this idea of 'school choice', in the first year of enactment more than 60% of the funds went to families that were already attending nonpublic schools. At the same time, private schools are increasing tuition by thousands of dollars to not only gobble up the entire amount of the ESAs, but going even further and putting their programs out of reach for the very students ESAs were supposedly targeted. School choice? Yes: For the school. Let's not also forget, this was set up as a standing appropriation, meaning the skies the limit. Whatever it costs, the state picks up the tab. So far, it has cost far more than originally anticipated and the contract with the out of state company hired to manage the program has more than doubled. Hundreds of millions of dollars fed into a system with little accountability, that instead could have been used to set SSA at a more appropriate and reasonable rate. 

Election day is November 5th. Don't forget to vote!