Iowa City school staff report increased student engagement with new cellphone policy

IOWA CITY — A few months after the Iowa City Community School District enacted a new cellphone policy, the district is reporting that 88 percent of school staff who responded to a survey said the policy is effective.

The policy, which took effect Jan. 21 in district middle and high schools, requires students’ phones and earbuds or headphones be silenced and placed in a backpack, purse, hanging pouch in the classroom or in a student’s locker during class.

“There's been overwhelmingly positive feedback from staff” and an increase “along the lines of student engagement, the consistency of the enforcement and then the adequacy of the support and training we've provided so far,” said Brady Shutt, the seventh-12th grade social studies curriculum coordinator and president of the Iowa City Education Association.

The 362 staff members who replied to the survey included teachers, administrators, para-educators, secretaries, counselors and other building staff.

Through nine weeks of data collection, violations of the policy have trended downward each week. Of the approximately 8,000 students in secondary schools across the district, a little over 1,000 students have one violation, while 282 have two violations and 100 students have three violations, according to district data. About 55 students across the district have more than three violations.

Under the policy, a cellphone, earbuds or headphones seen during instructional time could be confiscated temporarily.

“We know that for some more than others, this was a change in their practice on a given day. So we do appreciate the flexibility and the cooperation of our students and families,” said Lucas Ptacek, executive director of secondary schools for the district.

More student feedback wanted

So far, the district’s only formal student feedback has been through a superintendent advisory group of juniors and seniors. Ptacek said that overall response from the students in the advisory group was that the policy was working and being enforced consistently.

However, the students reported some concerns about ensuring cellphone access to students that need the technology as part of an accommodation or individual instruction plan for disabled students.

School board President Ruthina Malone requested that feedback on the policy from the broader student population be included in an update.

“I've been talking to students at Liberty City, Tate and West, and it's important that they have a voice to share what their experience has been. It's great to also work with our advisory council, but I want to make sure we get as many voices as possible,” Malone said at a board meeting Tuesday.

Compliance with state legislation

The Iowa Legislature this week gave final approval to House File 782, which would require school districts, charter schools and innovation zone schools to adopt policies restricting cellphone use during instructional time. The bill was sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who called for the state policy earlier this year, to sign into law.

The Iowa City policy is in line with the state legislation, district officials said.

The governor’s office, teacher groups and Iowa school administrators have said such policies help improve students’ concentration, decrease cyberbullying and address some of the concerns about students’ mental health.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

Get a weekly roundup of Johnson County news by signing up for my Johnson County Update newsletter.