DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District approved its updated phone policy during its School Committee meeting last month.

 

The goal of the policy change is to ensure that the use of cell phones or other electronic devices by students and staff does not interfere with learning. 

 

The policy states that cell phone use is prohibited during school hours and to accomplish a cell phone free learning environment the district will utilize Yondr pouches in the middle and high schools.

 

During its meeting in August, the School Committee approved a $20,000 grant to cover the first year costs of implementing Yondr pouches. 

 

The district will review the effectiveness of Yondr pouches at the end of three years to determine if revisions are needed. 

 

The pouches will make cell phones inaccessible to students but will allow the students to keep phones in their possession. 

 

"Any student who destroys, breaks open, alters, or otherwise tampers with their pouch will be responsible for replacing the pouch at the student's cost," the policy states. 

 

More information on Yondr pouches here. 

 

Multiple committee members agreed that the conflict between the students and school staff regarding cell phone use takes time away from learning and other responsibilities. 

 

"It takes away from learning, it also takes away from my relationship with the child. Once they put that phone in the pouch, and they don't have it there's no conflict anymore," School Committee member Art Alpert said. 

 

"If there was going to be a conflict at all it happens when they walk in the building first thing in the morning before they ever get to my classroom. So, what you're doing is you're eliminating the possibility of unnecessary conflicts in the classroom."

 

According to the district's data, Wahconah Regional High School had 188 students sent to the office this year because of cell phones, this is not including referrals the district has received at the middle school, Assistant Superintendent Michael Henault said. 

 

"The fact that 188 referrals doesn't seem like it's a problem shows you how pervasive it was last year, which is basically a free for all for any student to have a phone out and it wasn't being managed well because it was unmanageable," he said. 

 

Teachers and administrators have rallied to have this policy implemented, he said. 

 

The district has also received emails from families thanking the School Committee for supporting cell-phone free schools, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis added. 

 

The updated policy did receive pushback from School Committee member David Stuart, who advocated for a "graduated" approach to cell phone use, similar to the Pittsfield Public Schools.  

 

The hope of this policy is that removing the cell phone from students will bring students together but there are other ways to do that, he said. 

 

Cell phone usage is a problem for everyone and we all need to learn how to use them better and put them down, Stuart said. "I don't think this policy does that."

 

"I think there's other ways of doing it. There's other trust exercises, group exercises, where the students really have to engage with each other," he said.  

 

Stuart said he is against the current revision especially with the added cost on taxpayers because it is lacking the utilization of other policies, education, and tools

 

The cost of the pouches is covered by a state grant for one year so the cost on taxpayers is not specific to the seven towns, School Committee member Charlotte Crane said. 

 

"And in some ways, I agree with you, but in other ways, I will just speak from personal experience, that it is exhausting to police cell phones," Crane said. 

 

"And if you can take that off of an individual teacher's responsibility, even for a little bit, you will improve their instructional capability and a student's ability to learn and succeed in a classroom. And I do feel strongly about that."

 

Massachusetts is pushing districts to figure out a way to eliminate or limit cell phone use in schools, Henault said. 

 

Whether or not the district wants to use a graduated approach or educate the kids, eventually the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is going to prohibit cell phones in the classroom and the district will have no choice to take electronics away, one school committee member said.