Ethics & Religion
Column #1.997
November 20, 2019
Ban Cellphones from School
By Mike McManus
Students at Mountain Middle School in Durango, Colorado can no longer
use their cellphones in school. Their use has been banned for seven
years. Teachers at the school knew they had to do something because
their school had one of the lowest academic rates in Colorado. And the
school wanted to be a truly safe place.
Bravo to Shane Voss, who was the new head of the school seven years ago.
He was disturbed by the "24-hour cyberbullying that kids were exposed
to, the kids' loss of sleep, round-the-clock social pressure to respond
to Snapchat, Instagram posts and texts and constant comparing of oneself
to other students," reports Jenny Brundin on "Listen Now."
"What we've tried to do at our school is create a safe zone," Voss
explains. "The eight hours of a school day when students don't have to
worry about that added extra pressure." He calls it a "sanctuary."
"They can just be a kid for eight hours and not have to worry about all
the madness of responding and playing digital games with their friends."
When the policy was implemented seven years ago, "Kids came to school at
7:45 and were sitting next to each other but not talking to each other,"
he recalls. "And now in that 15-minute time as they are waiting for
class, students are actually talking to each other."
Parents had to be educated about the impacts of the cell phone on the
adolescent brain. Some studies point to a correlation between high
social media use and anxiety and depression. The school invited Durango
parents to attend a screening of a documentary, "Screenmakers" which
explores the impact of screens on kids' brains. A second event featured
a showing of "Angst" which documents heightened levels of anxiety in
today's youth.
Parents, however, can be part of the problem. Cell phone behavior is
learned, Voss said. So community discussions emphasized the importance
of not using cell phones while driving or during family dinners or when
talking to children.
"Parents need to model appropriate behavior," Voss said. "We're getting
our kids ready for the world of work and you're present, you're focused,
you're not checked out and you are not on social media when you are in a
business meeting."
When Voss walks into a school without a cellphone ban, students are
walking around with their heads down on their phones. "It's kind of like
the zombie apocalypse and you have all these kids in the hallways not
talking to each other. It's a very different vibe."
The school tries to teach the skill of being "indistractible," focusing
students on one skill, one concept, or one conversation at a time. It is
not easy when many students attempt to do homework, listen to music,
text and keep an eye on a Netflix release at the same time."
The impact of the cell phone ban has been dramatic. In the first two
years of the seven-year ban, the school struggled academically. But for
the past several years it has attained Colorado's highest performance
rating!
With this demonstrable success, why doesn't every school create a
cell-phone-free environment?
About 95% of teens have access to a smartphone and many Colorado school
officials say it is impossible to monitor them. Some administrators fear
student and parent pushback. "It's kind of a digital umbilical cord for
parents and students," he said.
Voss argues, "Let's remove all the excuses because we know this is what
is best for kids. We're going to have fewer kids facing depression and
anxiety. The mental health piece of this is huge and that can't be
ignored."
I interviewed Voss this week when he added, "We have far more demand
than seats. The waiting list for the past two years has been 650
students, but we can take only 240 students.
"We are looking for a future expansion. We've had a lot of visitors from
other schools. "
However, he could not cite one other school which has outlawed cell
phones for middle school students - or any high schools that have done
so.
Therefore, he is considering "starting another school in Durango," where
he is located.
His pioneering work has sparked articles by the state board of education
and stories in
the Denver Post and other papers.
Voss calls his ban on cell phones as a "no brainer" because it is
"definitely a safe place for students, which protects them from
cyberbulling."
Therefore, I propose that middle schools across America ban cell phones
- and high schools as well.
__________________________
Copyright (c) 2019 Michael J. McManus, President of Marriage Savers and
a syndicated columnist. To read past columns, go to
www.ethicsandreligion.com. Hit
Search for any topic.
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