Mercer Island School District will be rolling out its new MI Phone-Free Schools cell phone policy when students return to classes for the 2024-25 school year.
The district already restricts access to personal cell phones in its elementary schools during the school day, and now that practice will extend to Islander Middle School (IMS) and Mercer Island High School (MIHS). Students also won’t be allowed to utilize smart watches as is currently the case in the elementaries.
District Superintendent Fred Rundle relayed this news to the Mercer Island school community on the morning of July 17 via an online social media post and letter to families. The new policy is aimed at creating more intentional learning environments and promoting healthy social and emotional development, Rundle noted in the message and in an accompanying video on the district’s website.
“It’s an opportunity for some and it’s going to seem like maybe a take away for others, but in the end, it is what is in the best interest of our community and our students. We want to ensure that our schools are engaging our students intellectually, that we’re making sure they’re connected socially and equipped for the future,” Rundle said in the video that is posted within the district’s ultra-informational, research-backed web page, www.mercerislandschools.org/cellphone.
Rundle added: “Whereas we recognize areas we need to improve to fulfill these hopes and dreams and remain resolute in our commitment to do so, we believe social media and ubiquitous access to personal technology devices creates a significant barrier in our schools.”
Updates are forthcoming this summer and Rundle’s team will work toward a smooth transition with this policy. Presently, school community members can participate in a brief survey to assist the district as it takes steps to fully develop the policy. The survey can be accessed on the aforementioned web page.
During Rundle’s video presentation, he said the policy’s goal is to help students with reducing distractions, improving social interactions, decreasing anxiety and guiding them toward success. Furthermore, he said it won’t eliminate every barrier to learning, stop conflict, improve performance as a standalone variable and make schools unsafe.
The superintendent said there will be exceptions within the new policy, such as students who need to use their phone for health needs like monitoring glucose, emergencies, parents who need to relay important information to students and more. They are taking every scenario seriously, Rundle added.
The new policy is a data-driven decision, and Rundle supplied copious results derived from the Healthy Youth Survey (grades six, eight, 10 and 12) and surveys for staffs, families and students at IMS and MIHS.
Here are a few results (see the website for full results):
In a 244-response IMS families survey, 47.3% said that cell phones should be banned at school.
In the Healthy Youth Survey, students were asked “How often do you lose motivation as a result of social media or the internet?” The following responded, “often,” or “very often”: eighth grade – 10%; 10th grade – 28%; and 12th grade – 30%.
In an 831-response MIHS students, families and staff survey, 34.9% strongly disagreed that cell phone use during school is necessary to support student learning and engagement. Of 484 staff responses, 96.1% said they believe there are negative consequences to cell phone use in schools.
“We know this change is going to create a wide range of emotion from anxiety to jubilation and anger to joy. I look forward to speaking with you in the weeks to come as we all make this transition together,” Rundle concluded in the message.
