Big Country school districts reassessing cell phone policies
BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – As school districts in the Big Country reach the halfway point before the new school year, many are taking the time to reassess their policies, with cell phones being a main focus.
On Monday, Ranger ISD announced on its Facebook that it would be a cell phone-free district for the 2024-25 school year, following a similar policy implemented at Strawn ISD in March.
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Strawn Superintendent Dewaine Lee told KTAB/KRBC that after implementing the policy, he has seen great results.
“It has helped the discipline. The kids have been more active, the kid’s been more social. A lot more talking. So we’re really hoping by next year, you know, we’re going to see a big difference in the test scores,” Lee said.
The Strawn policy requires students to put their phones in a YONDR bag specifically made for phone policies in schools. These bags are locked with a magnet all day until the end of school hours. Ranger explained their policy Thursday, stating some of the same rules as Strawn.
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Lee said he was hesitant about getting rid of phone usage altogether but has seen the benefit.
“I thought maybe the kids should get their phone at lunch; they said, ‘Absolutely not. Keep it in a pouch from the start of the morning to the end of the day,” Lee explained. ” I think that’s the biggest thing now: kids can get to do anything in a split moment on the phone. They can find any information now, especially with AI.”
After Ranger made their announcement, many parents were concerned about the safety aspect of the policy should there be a school safety incident. Other guardians like Mary Adams said they see more good than harm in the policy.
“Do I see that there are times that having a cell phone benefits? Yes. I’m hoping they will do things to make sure that those kinds of incidences don’t happen in the future and that there’s more supervision,” Adamas said. “I completely support it because there’s too many distractions in the classroom.”
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Abilene ISD brought the issue up in a board meeting at the beginning of June, wanting to test the waters of a no-phone policy in the high schools.
“I think the general idea is if this were kind of prohibited totally from the campus at a campus level or even at a district level. The teachers would feel more comfortable supporting that,” Dr. Gustavo Villanueva stated to the board.
Abilene ISD has yet to make a decision regarding their phone policy.
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