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Mar. 1—BEMIDJI — By March 15 of this year,
Minnesota school districts and charter schools are required to adopt a policy on students’ possession and use of cell phones in schools.
Bemidji Area Schools
is well ahead of this curve.
While the district had some pieces in place before,
a July 2024 school board decision distinctly disallowed the use of cell phones
and other electronic devices during school hours.
“Learning needs to be at the center of everything we’re doing,” Superintendent Jeremy Olson said at the time of the vote. “The purpose of this is to limit distractions in our classrooms.”
The board vote secured an addendum to the high school handbook, which dictates that phones and other devices can still be used between classes, before and after school, and during lunch breaks.
The addendum also details a disciplinary process for those who don’t abide by the rule starting off with open communication regarding the “why” of the procedure.
“We need to clearly communicate to our parents and to our students about what this will look like (and) why we’re doing this,” Olson added. “This is not about taking something away or limiting something. This is about enhancing the educational experience of our classrooms. … We’re trying to keep the learning environment sacred and that’s what we’re all about.”
Three months out from the end of the 2024-2025 school year, BHS Principal Jason Stanoch praised the policy for what Olson credited as its purpose.
Alongside limiting in-classroom distractions, Stanoch said the policy has empowered teachers to take full control of their classrooms and reduce student behavioral issues.
“This last month (January), we had one incident. When you have over 1,600 kids, it’s pretty interesting to see that few incidents,” he noted, “so that’s a big step forward.”
Prior to the policy’s approval, Stanoch estimated that five to 10 cell-phone-related behavioral issues would be reported in any given month. Behavioral issues would clock in at approximately seven to eight a month when the policy first took effect and reduced to one a month recently.
Despite these improvements, however, Stanoch emphasized the difficulty of directly crediting the policy for reducing certain behavioral issues. Cyberbullying outside of school hours is just one example.
“There are other behaviors that might be related to cell phones, but it’s not the direct behavior of using the cell phone in the classroom,” he said. “While the cell phone policy during the day is working, we’re still trying to provide people with support and education outside of school. A lot of parents, like myself, grew up without a cell phone, so we’re learning how to support our kids and teach them how to use cell phones appropriately.
“In terms of room for improvement, how do we prevent the things that aren’t here in the schoolhouse during the day, but come back to us in the morning?”
Considered the “best data,” BHS administration has garnered feedback from teachers regarding the effectiveness of the policy. Administration sits in on classrooms to ensure the policy is enforced.
“We’ve had anecdotal comments from teachers saying it’s working,” Stanoch said. “Are there times that a teacher has had a day or two that they haven’t enforced the policy? Possibly. But overall, we’re seeing pretty good enforcement with fidelity based on what we’re hearing from teachers, staff and some students.”
The policy was initially met with some pushback from parents, but an explanation of the “why” quelled these frustrations, Stanoch added.
“I’ve had a lot of off-the-cuff conversations at parent-teacher conferences, at basketball games, people asking ‘Why?’ at the beginning,” he mentioned, “and we’re seeing our community support it now.”
Stanoch credited the work put forth by teachers in enforcing the policy and hopes continued enforcement will continue to complement the learning environment.
“I can go around and check classrooms, but it’s their efforts that have made this year so successful, all around in behaviors,” Stanoch said. “We strive for zero negative behaviors, but will we ever get there? Maybe not, but we always try to get better.”
Stanoch noted future challenges related to the use of artificial intelligence and other forms of technology to which students are exposed.
“I see new challenges with AI, how to use it and how to safeguard everything from it,” Stanoch left off. “Students will always find a way to use their cell phone faster than we’ll find a way to prevent certain things. Their brains are wired for technology, but to do our jobs, we have to be cognizant of what’s out there.”
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