A new policy governing cell phone use by students in the Gilroy
Unified School District is welcome indeed.
Keeping cell phone usage at school under control is an important
step in establishing a culture and an atmosphere conducive to and
supportive of learning. Kudos to the Board of Trustees.
A new policy governing cell phone use by students in the Gilroy Unified School District is welcome indeed.
Keeping cell phone usage at school under control is an important step in establishing a culture and an atmosphere conducive to and supportive of learning. Kudos to the Board of Trustees.
That said, there are a few questions:
Why the different policies for different grade levels? Always fans of the keep-it-simple principle, we’d like to see a streamlined policy: cellular phones, pagers and similar devices must be turned off during class time.
If students want to use cell phones during lunch or free time, that’s one matter. If they want to use them on their way to or from school, that should be none of GUSD’s concern. But by completely banning student cell phones on elementary school campuses, GUSD is making it impossible for elementary students to use them before and after school.
Many parents provide cell phones to their children for safety reasons, but the GUSD cell phone policy’s unnecessary restriction makes it impossible for elementary school children who bike or walk to school to have cell phones with them.
Second, why doesn’t this policy apply to district employees who work in classrooms as well?
If any classroom employee or student has a family or other emergency arise during the school day, the school office is available for phone calls and to relay messages.
Classroom time is scarce and therefore precious. It’s unconscionable that teachers, coaches or instructional aides are using any of this time to answer their cell phones.
And, given the recent revelations about cheating at Gilroy High School, allowing any electronic messaging device – like pagers – to be turned on in a classroom is tacit endorsement of cheating.
Anyone who has ever been at a movie or meeting interrupted by the irritating electronic jingle of a cell phone or pager knows that’s an interruption all by itself, whether or not the call is answered. Answering a cell phone call or reading a paper message during classroom time adds insult to the injury.
GUSD trustees have taken on the issue, but the policy needs to be expanded to include any cell phone, pager or electronic messaging device, no matter who the owner happens to be: teacher, student or aide. And the policy should be streamlined so it is the same at all grade levels, thereby allowing elementary school students whose parents provide them with cell phones to have them on their way to and from school.
It’s too bad that simple kindness, common courtesy and respect for the importance of education are not enough to make this policy unnecessary and redundant. But with students and teachers taking calls during precious classroom time an all-too-common occurrence, that’s clearly not the case. Kudos are in order, but GUSD still needs to tweak this worthwhile new policy.
