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Aspen School District is exploring options to address smartphone usage in schools, including the implementation of Yondr, a service providing magnetic-locking pouches for phones that rose to prominence at concerts and comedy shows but is finding a second life in schools across the globe. District leadership is holding two town hall meetings next week to discuss the issue of smartphones in schools and possible solutions.
“It’s enough of a problem for us that (several teachers) are like, ‘Ban them, ban them now,’” ASD Superintendent David Baugh said. “There’s a lot of research that’s tying the advent of cellphones to social media, Facebook and 2012 just sort of marked a decline in kids’ ability to concentrate, feel good about themselves, feel good about school. … There’s always been bullying in schools, but cyberbullying is particularly bad these days. Cellphones make it easy to do that. So we’re going to have a conversation and we’re going to give the community a chance to really let us know what they think.”
Baugh added that some staff approached him with questions about the district’s decision to sue social media companies but not, to that point, addressing smartphones as a whole.
The district’s “thought exchange” survey issued in December drew more than 1,170 respondents, according to a draft of the presentation it plans to give in the town halls. Of those responses, more than half — 643 in total — came from parents. Around 30% (336) were students, 91 were teachers, 21 were administrators and 34 were other faculty.
Baugh called the survey inconclusive, without a heavy majority “for phones or against phones.” According to the presentation, 89% felt that cellphones in school distract students, but to what extent and what end was less universal. Most respondents — 68% — said the current policies are comprehensive enough. In the classroom, 47% of teachers reported they never or almost never spend time redirecting students who are on their phones, and 61% said students never or almost never use cellphones in class.
For their part, a whopping 95% of students said that cellphones aren’t distracting them.
While Baugh called the students going to bat for smartphones “commendable,” he doesn’t agree with the assessment. The presentation cites a study called the Programme for International Student Assessment, which found quantitatively that “school loneliness” in teens doubled from 2012 to 2018 during the rise of social media, and qualitatively that schools that have implemented smartphone bans have seen a reduction in bullying and increase in interpersonal interaction.
“They will tell you that they’re not distracted by them, that they’re responsible cellphone users, and that’s arguable,” Baugh said. “It’s commendable that they’re advocating for the use of cellphones or something they believe in, but the research shows otherwise.”
With the ambiguity in the survey, the district is trying to find what needle to thread to address the issue. Baugh said he isn’t personally in favor of an outright ban.
The Yondr pouches are growing in popularity as a solution, with its website saying that more than 1 million students use the product across 16 countries.
Baugh said if the district adopted the pouches, they would place the unlocking “bases” at exits and potentially school buses, with some ideas about creating a “cellphone lounge” for upperclassmen to use during their off periods.
He felt that the district’s improvements in emergency communication are more effective than having students communicate, citing last year’s hoax phone call about an active shooter and the misinformation spread by students.
“I don’t really see cellphones in the hands of students … as a useful tool in an emergency situation,” Baugh said.
Baugh said the cost of implementing Yondr would be around $30,000. While the product is gaining popularity in schools on the coasts, he said he wasn’t aware of any other districts in Colorado using it. Reports by FOX21 and KRDO in Colorado Springs shared that Eastlake High School is implementing the pouches this school year.
Baugh said if the district adopted the pouches, they would place the unlocking “bases” at exits and potentially school buses, with some ideas about creating a “cellphone lounge” for upperclassmen to use during their off periods.
He felt that the district’s improvements in emergency communication are more effective than having students communicate, citing last year’s hoax phone call about an active shooter and the misinformation spread by students.
“I don’t really see cellphones in the hands of students … as a useful tool in an emergency situation,” Baugh said.
Baugh said the cost of implementing Yondr would be around $30,000. While the product is gaining popularity in schools on the coasts, he said he wasn’t aware of any other districts in Colorado using it. Reports by FOX21 and KRDO in Colorado Springs shared that Eastlake High School is implementing the pouches this school year.
Data from the presentation includes a survey from the School District of Philadelphia, in which teaching staff unanimously reported minimized instructional disruption, 78.6% reported increased social interaction and 85.7% reported reduced distractions to student learning and engagement.
The district is also sharing the “Wait Until 8th” movement, which encourages parents to not give children smartphones until after graduation from the eighth grade.
The town halls are scheduled 5:30 p.m. on both Tuesday and Thursday. The district is requesting RSVPs for a headcount to determine if the events will be held in the Aspen High School library or the Aspen District Theater. A QR code for the RSVP form is available on a flier on the aspenk12.net homepage.
Baugh said that changes, if any, would not be implemented until after the current school year. Any decision would be discussed in a Board of Education meeting, he noted.