Pittsburgh-area school districts work to separate students from cellphones

[FakeNoose]

Several initiatives are underway across the state and country to help students refocus



Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2024/09/01/cell-phone-pouches-school-districts/stories/202408300074

Tamara Allen-Thomas would walk through the halls of Clairton High School two years ago watching as students stooped over their cellphones, barely interacting with their peers. The teens were often late to class, and incidents that started outside the Waddell Avenue school would sometimes filter in through text messages.

Knowing something needed to change, Ms. Allen-Thomas, the district superintendent, went through a process that eventually led to high schoolers for the first time last school year putting their phones in a secured envelope and bin at the start of the day and retrieving them after the last period. The process expanded a similar policy that was already in place for K-8 students.

“‘So tell me how has it been without a cellphone,’” Ms. Allen-Thomas asked students partway through last year. “They were like ‘Ah’ and then the kids said ‘Well, not that bad, actually. As a matter of fact I didn’t know such and such was even in my class. I talk to more people.’”

The Clairton City School District is among a growing group of Pittsburgh-area districts implementing policies to prevent students from using phones throughout the school day.

A sampling around the region shows Allderdice High School, Milliones 6-12 and Obama 6-12 in Pittsburgh Public Schools; Clairton, McKeesport, Penn Hills and Woodland Hills in Allegheny County; and Washington and Ringgold school districts in Washington County have phone-related policies or procedures.

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Teachers have a hard-enough time doing their job without having to compete with the kids' cellphones. I believe restricting cellphone use during class time hours will improve the students' engagement considerably.

[rich7862]

1. The cell phone

The cell phone protects kids. Backyard bullies, along with notifying the police for another school shooting. comes to mind. Of course, they should not use the cell phone while class is going on, unless they are being murdered by a machine gun. This is just one more Project 2025 GOP’s attempt to take away your rights.

[FakeNoose]

2. I disagree

Maybe "A" students can be allowed to keep cellphones in school. Would that would be an incentive for them to hit the books and work a little harder? Most definitely! For most kids, having a cellphone in their hand means less listening to teachers and more goofing around. That's just the way it is.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. And school districts are not the only ones having this issue. Workplace environments are having a hard time

keeping their young (and maybe perhaps older workers) off their phones and instead, work, that's what they are getting paid for.

My other half tells me all of the time the younger workers are glued to their phones constantly, and not doing a bit of work. It's grossly unfair to those workers who do not chat etc. on their phones during work hours. They are trying to crack down on these people, but I imagine it's going to be hard. How many managers can a workplace hire, just to police the workforce from being on their phones?

[FakeNoose]

4. Absolutely, it has gotten way out of hand

I'm retired now but I can remember about 20 years ago, there was a situation at my company.

A recently-hired customer service employee spent most of her day on her own cellphone, texting her buddies and friends about god-knows-what-all. She almost never did her job! She was told to stay off her own phone because she's supposed to be talking and interacting with our customers, not her own friends.

Her excuse was that customers were contacting her on her personal phone so she had to respond. This woman abused it to an extreme, and finally the company came up with a new rule. All customer-contact was to be on the company email system and a record was made of every contact. Only phone calls came through the company phone system, and again records were kept. In a very short time this woman was called to the boss' office and she was gone.