Can You Believe It?

It's almost a cliché, that collective gasp of "Can you believe it's already [insert month]?" We see it parodied everywhere, like in Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologues where he playfully mocks the utter astonishment people express at the calendar turning. He often follows this up with clips of local news anchors earnestly exclaiming, "Can you believe it, it's already..." And yet, despite the humorous repetition, there's a genuine feeling that resonates as another school year draws to a close. It truly does feel like just yesterday the school buses were making their first rounds. Can you believe it? The school year is almost over. Yes, I can certainly believe it. We have experienced much together this school year.

I don't really think it's a 'Can you believe its already....' but rather an acknowledgement that if we're not paying attention, we will wake up one day and wonder where all the time went. I do often remind our employees to make sure they take advantage of each and every day, because before we know it the school year will have evaporated. Even today, with just a little less than three weeks remaining I continue to remind our staff to keep their eye on the ball and to take advantage of each precious remaining minute of instruction. 

There is no doubt that we are on the final approach and the runway is coming up fast. Indeed, we'll bid farewell to the Class of 2025 this Sunday and final exams are underway for our older students. Pirate term starts very soon and there is a palpable excitement in the air for the promise that summer will bring. 

As the final papers are graded and our students (and teachers) begin the countdown of days that bring the promise of summer fun and flexible schedules, it's natural to take a breath and reflect on the journey that we've navigated together. Indeed, at the beginning of the school year none of us could have imagined the complexities and challenges this school year would bring. We've witnessed profound moments of growth, sparks of intellectual curiosity, and deep sadness. In this school year, we've faced unexpected obstacles and moments of frustration, uncertainty, and perhaps even hopelessness. It's in this intricate blend of highs and lows where the true essence of a school year lies. 

The point is this: during our opening convocation at the beginning of the school year I try to paint with a broad brush the hope and promise that a new school year brings. I wrote this in my opening address: 

The start of a new school year is like a blank canvas stretching before us, ready to be filled with the endless possibilities and dreams of our students. My dream is for all Hudson students to leave here with the skills and tools they will need to transform our world for the better. I feel confident that our students will succeed in the future because of the hard work and dedication of our teachers and staff. The work they are putting in today will enable students to fulfill their dreams tomorrow. 

As we close out this school year that canvas is blank no more. I do hope the lessons that were learned this year provide for reflection and contemplation. Hopefully the knowledge gained and the relationships that were formed will continue to shape all our students as they contemplate their future dreams. Let us celebrate the journey while acknowledging the challenges we have overcome. This year that is ending in just a few short weeks will continue to shape us all. Then we can look forward with anticipate to the opportunities that lie ahead, armed with the wisdom and resilience gained from this school year. 

Cell Phone Restrictions Are Coming Soon

If you've ever read the minutes of school board meetings or reviewed our agendas, you may have wondered how policy is developed and subsequently promulgated. As a starting point, the lions share of our board policy work is typically in response to legislative mandates. For example, our April board agenda included more that 25 updates to board policy in response to legislatively mandated changes to the Iowa Civil Rights Code. Typically, it takes two 'readings' before a policy is fully adopted and becomes enforceable. Simply stated, a 'reading' is the board's first opportunity to review the policy, clarify the language or offer amendments. Once the policy has moved through the first reading, the second reading by in large is procedural: the policy is moved to the table for discussion and subsequently adopted. The other policy item on our board agenda that is a standing item is policy review. The review of policy is one of the final orders of business for a meeting prior to adjournment and is generally used to highlight board policies and ensure awareness. Admittedly, this all sounds technical and for certain cumbersome in procedure. However, in practice it is all rather routine. Policy adoption typically doesn't require a lot of discussion since it is usually in response to changes in state law. Since local school boards don't have an option when it comes to following state law, lengthy debate usually isn't necessary.

There are, however exceptions. School boards can, of their own volition, enact policy for the good of the school district. Indeed, we have several such policies in our manual. Our only requirement is to ensure those policies are not in conflict with Iowa law. Which brings us to our current discussion. Going well back to last summer, the board expressed a desire to explore policy that would strengthen our stance on student use of cell phones during the school day. I introduced that idea to all of you on September 25th in an article titled 'Smartphones in Schools'. In that article I discussed the concept, encouraged you all to read 'The Anxious Generation', and invited you to provide us some feedback as we crafted policy proposals. I promised at that time that no imminent policy change was on the horizon, and in fact was several months away.

We followed up on November 5 with an article titled 'What You Told Me About Cell Phones'. I would encourage you to go back and read that article, but the primary takeaway was that 63% of the respondents believed that our cell phone policy needed to be strengthened. It seemed to me that many had read the book, because some of the arguments pointed out the impact on brain development, the importance of human interaction (we'll be talking about AI manipulation soon, mark my words on that), and that if students need to contact their parents, they can use the phone in the office. 63%, by the way is a supermajority.

Around that time, we had policy language drafted and was preparing to bring it forward to a 'first reading vote' when we learned the governor was going to propose legislation on this topic. So, we tabled action and moved it to our unfinished business calendar for the year. The last time you heard from me on this topic was on February 18 with the title 'We Haven't Forgotten'. In that article, among other points I shared with you was that legislation had been introduced on cell phones in schools. From that point forward, we monitored the legislation while continuing our discussions and contemplations.

Then, on April 30, Governor Reynolds signed HF 782 that restricts cell phone use in Iowa classrooms. This bill sets minimum requirements that schools need to take when adopting policies for school districts. The draft language that we have proposed would seem to meet those requirements. In short, our proposal aims to restrict, but not outright ban smartphones in schools. During instructional time, which is defined as from the beginning of the day to the end of the day, student use of personal electronic devices (including smart watches) is restricted.  The only carveout at this point would be a permission for high school students to check messages between classes. It will remain to be seen if this makes the final policy. It is also worth pointing out that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, student owned devices will be prohibited from accessing the district wifi. With the scheduled reconfiguration of our network, devices that aren't registered with the network will not be allowed. 

The school board is scheduled to take up Policy 503.9 Student Use of Personal Electronic Devices and Regulation 509.9R1 at the May board meeting. I anticipate it will pass with amendment prior to the final reading in June. It will be effective then, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. These policies are included here for your review. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know! We appreciate your patience this school year as we have navigated this topic.

House File 782 signed on April 30