Here’s how a private school in Kalona went cellphone free

Students at Hillcrest Academy in Kalona start each school day by putting their phones and smartwatches into plastic pouches labeled with their names, where the technology stays out of their reach until the end of the day.

The 6th-12th grade private school made the switch to being phone-free this academic year to reduce distractions in the classroom and out of concerns for their mental health.

“The goal of this initiative aims to promote mindfulness, reduce distractions and encourage meaningful connections among our students,” said Jeremy Ours, director of advancement at Hillcrest Academy.

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“This is becoming something that a lot of school districts are considering and we are inspired about potentially being the first school to be doing this for our school community in Southeast Iowa,” Ours said.

Indeed, many Eastern Iowa schools are exploring adopting new policies around cellphones, mirroring a national trend of school districts — and even states — restricting students’ cellphone use in schools.

At least 13 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommended local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an analysis by Education Week. While Iowa is not included in that list, many local school districts are pursuing action on their own.

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Why phone-free schools?

In June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s announced he would push for a warning label on social media platforms advising parents that using them might damage adolescents’ mental health. In May 2023, Murthy recommended parents set limits on cellphone use and urged Congress to develop health and safety standards for technology platforms.

Educators say phones also distract from learning at school. A survey of U.S. public high school teachers last fall found that 72 percent said students being distracted by their cellphones is a major problem in the classroom, according to the Pew Research Center.

Larry Johnson, a school-based therapist at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, said cellphone use comes up “frequently” with students he works with.

Johnson talks with students who come to him — struggling with depression or a “low mood” — about contributing factors like cellphone and social media use.

Students he talks with are “stressed” about their cellphone and often have a “fear of missing out,” he said. They treat text messages and social media notifications with a sense of urgency, though i’s usually just “regular everyday banter” with peers, he said.

“Being on your phone isolates you from the people around you and limits interpersonal social skills, which you need to thrive,” Johnson said. “The further we dive into our phones, the less connected we feel.”

How Hillcrest Academy enforces a phone-free school

At Hillcrest Academy, students say they’ve noticed more interaction among their peers — especially over lunch — in just the two weeks since their school went phone-free.

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Phones and smartwatches are collected in students’ homeroom each morning and kept safe in the main office. The phones are returned to students in their homerooms before they leave at the end of the school day.

If students have a midday appointment, they can grab their phone in the main office before they leave the school.

Families may question how to get in touch with their children during the school day if they don’t have their phones on them. The school suggests families email the students if the message is not urgent, since students have access to laptops for coursework. Otherwise, families can call Hillcrest Academy’s main office if it’s a message that needs to be conveyed more immediately.

Principal Dwight Gingerich said the conversations surrounding a phone free school began in earnest last spring and largely was led by teachers. School leaders gathered feedback from the school board, families and students before moving forward with implementation at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

School leaders referenced a book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt, in their decision. The book, published in March, has sparked debate nationally about the impact of smartphones on children.

Tom Carey, a school counselor at Hillcrest Academy, said the decision to remove phones from schools was not “taken lightly.” Carey said the school is offering students more activities during “down times” throughout the day. After lunch, for example, many take advantage of pingpong tables set up in common areas.

“We’re trying to put out things for them to do in those times where maybe the phone was a crutch in the past,” he said.

There are about 165 students who attend Hillcrest Academy. Carey said it’s the school’s size and the strong relationships teachers have with students that is enabling it to move forward with a phone-free school so quickly.

But for larger public schools, finding a solution is more complicated.

Pediatrician wants change

A petition signed by about 30 pediatricians from Mercy Pediatric Clinics, UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and other health care offices asks area schools to implement a policy requiring student cellphones to be locked throughout the school day “to help protect their mental health and education.”

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Padget Skogman, a pediatrician in Cedar Rapids and one of the doctors behind the petition, said cellphones and social media is leading to a national mental health crisis, which she sees in her patients weekly.

Skogman also references “The Anxious Generation” in her argument for change. She said the “four norms” listed in the book are a good place to start with cellphone and social media use for children. Those are:

Skogman has organized an “informational and brainstorming session” led by pediatricians for school leaders, families and concerned residents to consider the roles of cellphone and social media in schools. The goal is to develop a task force that will come up with a recommended cellphone policy for area schools.

The session — open to the public — will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Whipple Auditorium of the downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE.

Skogman said families can “take back the smartphone” if the community does it together. She has a dream of families agreeing to delete their social media accounts at a set date, for example Feb. 5, 2025, she said.

“Evoking big change is what I love the most. Advocacy is the biggest reason I’m a pediatrician,” Skogman said.

Throughout history, “we haven’t done kids wrong,” Skogman said. From making it illegal for minors to buy and smoke cigarettes to stricter seat belt laws, there are “so many examples of where we protect children from what’s harmful,” she said.

Cedar Rapids schools’ researching cellphone policies

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is researching the presence of cellphones in schools and potential policies, district spokeswoman Orsolya Cypert said in an email to The Gazette in July. To do this, the district is:

“We believe it’s crucial to carefully consider all potential effects before making any policy decisions. … Our priority is to ensure that any decisions are based on thorough, data-driven analysis,” Cypert said.

Iowa City school board using ‘Anxious Generation’ as a ‘tool’

The Iowa City Community School District announced in July a timeline of when families could expect a possible policy recommendation about cellphones in its schools.

The Iowa City school board is doing a book study of “The Anxious Generation.” School officials currently are gathering survey data from educators, students and families in the district until October.

Iowa City schools Superintendent Matt Degner is expected to present recommendations to the board Oct. 29 with a proposed implementation date.

During a school board meeting last month, Degner called the book “The Anxious Generation” a “tool” to guide the district’s conversation around cellphone use. He said the district is “not endorsing everything” in the book.

College Community helping families understand impact

Doug Wheeler, superintendent of the College Community School District, said one of the district’s priorities this year is educating parents about the impact of cellphones and social media on children.

In May, the district contracted with Smart Social — a digital literacy program for educators and families — in an $18,000 agreement. The program is marketed as a tool to help parents better understand technology and social media to keep kids safe. There also are resources for students to learn how to be “good digital citizens” by better managing their screen time and safety online.

“Is it a good idea to have a cellphone ban in school? Yes. Have we engaged our stakeholders enough to make that move right now? I’m not certain,” Wheeler said in an interview with The Gazette last month.

Taking phones from students in school could be a “liability issue,” Wheeler said.

“Every student has a $400 computer in their pocket. It’s private property. Do you confiscate the phone? We have, on a case-by-case basis, where you can really ensure the security of that device,” Wheeler said. But, “If you’re doing that at a 1,000-kids-at-a-time scenario, that has to be something that’s well thought out.”

Prairie Point Middle School Principal Ian Dye said the expectation right now is that phones are put away when class begins. Students are allowed to check their phones in between classes, during lunch time and before and after school.

Dye said many students begin using a smartphone for the first time in sixth and seventh grade. Last year, less than 4 percent of the 870 students in the middle school received write-ups relating to inappropriate cellphone use, he said.

What do parents say?

Parents in the Corridor are approaching giving their children smartphones with caution. They worry about the possible damage that access to smartphones and social media could present to their children. At the same time, they worry their children will be left out of social groups if they don’t have a smartphone.

Samantha and Keith Dahlby got their oldest child — who is 13 and in eighth grade — her first cellphone over the summer.

Keith said the timing was “deliberate.” They wanted their daughter to have the summer to “adjust” without peer pressure to having a cellphone. They also didn’t want to wait until next academic year with the additional adjustment of her entering high school, he said.

Samantha, who is director of K-12 education at NewBoCo in Cedar Rapids, said their daughter has asked to keep “restrictions” on her phone. For example, her parents have to approve any applications she downloads. She doesn’t yet have social media platforms installed.

“She’s observed her friends. These kids are sucked into their devices and are not interacting with each other when they get on a school bus,” Keith said. “I remember when I was a kid, you got on the bus and everyone is going wild and goofing around.”

NewBoCo’s education program advocates for access to computer science and science, technology, engineering and math education for students by offering programs for students and educators.

Samantha said there needs to be a better understanding of how cellphones can be used as a “tool.” There are benefits to the technology, but also “burdens,” she said. In her role at NewBoCo, she’s seen how smartphones can give people access to learning computer coding, for example.

“Social media isn’t healthy for kids, and being addicted to devices is super common,” Keith said.

Evette Creighton has a daughter who is a freshman at Jefferson High School, and a daughter who is a sixth-grader at Wilson Middle School, both in the Cedar Rapids district. They both got smartphones when they were 10 years old.

“In hindsight, that was really young. We probably could have waited until they were in high school,” Creighton said.

Creighton does have a “goal” of keeping them off social media until they graduate high school, she said. The girls are active on YouTube where they enjoy making and editing videos with each other under parental supervision, she said.

“I don’t think they’re missing out,” Creighton said. “My goal as a parent is to preserve my children’s innocence for as long as I possibly can. I’m in no hurry to expose my children to things that isn’t really appropriate for a child.”

Audrey McGrath has four children in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, the oldest of whom is 13 and in seventh grade. Her three oldest children have Gabb phones — a cellphone that does not have access to the internet, games or social media.

“I truly believe parents start this cellphone journey with the very best intentions,” McGrath said. “There is more and more information about low self-esteem, depression and anxiety and how that correlates with smartphones.”

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com