Beginning next school year, “devices must either be left at home or secured using the designated school-issued locking system for the duration of the school day,” the approved policy reads. The policy was approved in a 5-2 vote at the board of trustees’ May 12 meeting.
What you need to know
The pouches, which will be used for sixth through 12th graders and cost over $115,000, will be paid for through the district’s capital projects fund, according to district agenda documents.
The second year and beyond will cost $15,000-$18,000 for an annual refresh, as incoming sixth graders will need to receive pouches, Kim Cole, FISD’s assistant superintendent of secondary teaching and learning, said at the meeting.
Cole also noted in a previous meeting that unlocking stations will be created on campuses, and portable unlocking devices will be given to coaches and extracurricular staff members for students that participate in sports, clubs or after school events.
According to FISD documents, the district chose the policy for the some of the following reasons:
- Site-based implementation support is built into the price, ensuring that schools receive hands-on guidance without incurring additional costs.
- The pricing includes a 15% buffer of extra products to cover potential damage and loss. This will help the district as students are held financially responsible for such incidents, which in turn helps supplement the overall cost.
How we got here
The discussion to potentially change FISD’s cellphone policy began in the fall when a team of district officials, led by Cole, began researching the impact of social media and cellphones.
From there, the district implemented a Think Tank consisting of 24 FISD members. The group was made up of counselors, administrators, students, parents and teachers from each campus to discuss findings and survey them on a potential new policy.
The survey asked respondents to choose one of the following preferences:
- FISD’s current policy, which is that cellphone use is prohibited during the instructional day at FISD unless a teacher permits their usage.
- An away for the day policy, in which cellphones are prohibited for the entire school day.
- An away for the day policy with YONDR pouches
Board trustees Tony Hopkins, Laura Seifert, Rebecca Hillenburg, Ralph Hobratschk and David Montz voted in favor of the new policy.
Hilllenburg said she had to consider what was best for instruction and teachers.
“We want to try to do what's best for everybody and all this, but bottom line, it comes down to what's best for those two things for me,” Hillenburg said at the meeting. “I've seen teachers work hard to enforce policies and to make things work and have it work in their classrooms ... but it took instructional time, and that's the part that bothers me.”
Hopkins said he believes the YONDR pouches are a “small price to pay” to achieve success within the district.
“I want to give the opportunity for the best success,” Hopkins said. “I think if we do nothing in terms of not putting a tool in their hands, it's never going to succeed. Give it a chance to work, and if something comes along better in two years, that's half the cost and works 10 times better, we'll make a change.”
Those opposed
Board trustees Beau Egert and Niki Rhodes voted against the new policy, but they were in support of another option presented to the board, which also prohibited cellphones for the entire school day without the implementation of the YONDR pouch.
Rhodes noted that she felt there was a “big gap in data” shared from the district, and she said she needed to see more data before choosing to make an investment in the pouches.
“I process stuff with data and statistics, and I didn’t ever find out, ‘Is it 80% of teachers that are having a hard time? Are they enforcing the policy?’ It just seemed like a hodgepodge,” Rhodes said at the meeting. “I hear that it’s hard to get kids to get off their phones in the hallways, at lunch, things like that. It's hard to monitor. It takes up classroom time. I just want to see it in data form ... and see how big of a problem it is.”
Trustees also noted House Bill 1481, which passed in the House and would essentially restrict cellphones in all classrooms across the state.
“New tools are going to emerge, especially when a state ban passes for [a state as] large as Texas and companies begin to respond to what's there,” Egert said at the meeting. “I don't like the tool. I think that's the biggest part that I struggle with. I think it's valuable, but I question spending the money when I think other tools are emerging and are going to be emerging quickly.”
Moving forward
Superintendent Thad Roher said the district will take the summer to discuss discipline measures and carry out a plan for each campus to prepare for the new policy.
Friendswood High School Principal Mark Griffon said his staff members are in support of cellphones being away for the day, especially with the help of a YONDR pouch.
“Those of us that have been around for a while, we've done it without a tool like the pouch system, and we know what that looks like. It was not successful at a high percentage,” Griffon said at the meeting. “So if we're going to go away for the day, I think my staff would say we want a tool to support that policy.”
