EULESS, Texas — The Hurst Euless Bedford Independent School District is sharing new data on cell phone use in the district’s secondary schools. The HEB ISD board is set to hear the findings in its regular meeting on Monday evening.
It’s centered around a survey of HEB ISD secondary principals to gather qualitative data through open-ended questions. The presentation the board will hear notes the responses were reviewed to, “Identify patterns, trends, and key themes, which provided a clear understanding of the practices and challenges created with cell phones in our schools.”
Cell phones are only allowed when the teacher deems them appropriate for learning. At the high school level, students can have cell phones during lunch and passing periods but in junior high school, each HEB ISD campus can determine if cell phones are allowed during those time frames.
Overall, according to the presentation, principals are very satisfied with the current policy. Feedback showed cell phones are a distraction where guidelines are not strictly enforced and there are varying levels of compliance. There were also concerns about having a consistent policy across schools in the district.
The HEB ISD board will hear the best practices identified in the survey:
- Establish clear expectations and rules
- Clearly communicate disciplinary steps
- Create a classroom device use policy with student input
- Foster a culture of responsible digital citizenship
- Keep students engaged
In a WFAA conversation with Mike Morath, Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, he shared that as a dad of four young children when it comes to cell phones, “We’re not doing it in my house. If I was a superintendent, I would ban it in my school district. If I was a board member, I would ban it. If it were in my power, I would prevent cell phones in public schools."
“There is no evidence that it is ever helpful educationally," Morath added.