Knappa High School students have started their new semester with new restrictions on cellphone use.

Effective Feb. 11, the district extended its no-phone policy to include passing periods, lunchtime and breaks, with some exceptions for students who use their phones as medical devices or as part of an approved individualized education plan.The aim is to limit distractions during class and address concerns over online bullying and harassment.

Paul Isom, Knappa High School principal, said he’s observed students using cellphones to spread rumors and take photos and videos of one another without permission. In another recent incident, a student stormed out of class after receiving an upsetting message on their phone.

“I have kids in my office all the time — ‘this person just took a video of me, I just saw a Snapchat of me,’ you know, ‘this person got on our group chat and said this about me.’ But it always stems from something with the electronic device,” Isom said.

Community feedback

Knappa’s decision is one thread in a conversation that has picked up momentum across the county, state and nation in recent years, with some states introducing legislation. In October, the Oregon Department of Education recommended schools limit or restrict cellphones, citing research on the harmful effects of excessive use.

Knappa began discussing an updated cellphone policy late last school year. In recent months, Superintendent Bill Fritz has hosted two sessions on the topic and sent out an online community survey to field feedback. Parents have been almost unanimously supportive of the changes, he said.

Hannah Bryan, who has two children in middle and high school in the district, said she’s in favor of the policy.

“Kids are there to learn. They don’t need to be worried about Snapchatting their friend that’s across the hall in the next classroom,” she said. “That’s just my take.”

Bryan acknowledged that some parents may disagree with a bell-to-bell cellphone ban, but said she’s never had a problem contacting her children by calling the main office. She added that she sees an opportunity with the new policy to educate students on the potential harms of sharing inappropriate photos.

Although students are more hesitant about the policy, Fritz said they also seem relatively receptive.

“They’re like, ‘I don’t like it, but I know it’s probably what we should be doing,’” he said. “So, you know, it might be like eating your spinach, right? You know it’s good for you, but you aren’t thrilled with it. But I think that’s the sense of it for a lot of kids.”

Mylie Lempea is a junior at Knappa High School. When she learned about the new policy a few weeks ago, she said she sensed apprehension among many of her peers.

For the past couple of years, Knappa High School has had rules against cellphone use during class time. Lempea said she thinks there’s generally consensus that the rule should be better enforced, but many students still aren’t excited about giving up their phones during lunch and passing periods.

“I would totally agree that stricter enforcement of some kind should probably be put back in,” Lempea said. “But the problem I’m seeing is, the kids who are being mindful of the rule have been mindful of it, and they’re the ones who are going to be punished by the new rule.”

At the end of the day, she added, she doesn’t think the new policy is a huge deal — but she thinks there could be value in students learning how to manage cellphone use and other responsibilities.

Isom hopes the new policy will help remove gray areas around cellphone use and make enforcement more straightforward. If a student breaks the rules once, their phone will be confiscated until the end of the day. If they break the rules again, a parent will need to pick up the confiscated device.

He added that he thinks the new rules can benefit all students, even those who haven’t had an issue using their phones during class.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of mental health aspects that improve,” Isom said. “So even those kids who aren’t necessarily breaking the rules, I still think are going to get some positive benefits out of not being on their phone all the time, or not being on their phone every passing period.”

District successes

Knappa is far from the first local school district to shift its guidelines around cellphone use. Last year, the Seaside School District was the first in the county to announce a cellphone ban for its middle and high school students, with other districts following a similar path.

“We actually thought we would maybe wait and see how that went with them, before we dipped our toe in the water,” Fritz said.

Across the board, schools have reported positive results.

Seaside has invested in pouches for student’s phones, designed by a Los Angeles-based company called Yondr, that lock and unlock at stations at the school’s doors. Some students use the pouches, while others opt to not bring their phones in the building at all. To Jeff Roberts, the principal at Seaside’s middle and high school, the most important thing is that cellphones are out of sight.

Since implementing the policy, Roberts said he’s seen a 30% decrease in students failing classes at the high school — and although that can’t be directly attributed to the cellphone ban, he thinks there’s a clear connection.

“Is it perfect? No,” Roberts said. “That being said, I do believe that the positives have been really significant. What I will tell you is, anecdotally, from our staff, they feel like they have their kids back, right? That the kids in class are clear and present, are engaging in the work, are actively participating. I think that is a huge win.”

He added that he’s also seen considerably more engagement and social interaction between students when walking through the cafeteria — another win in his book.

The Jewell School District has also invested in Yondr pouches for a bell-to-bell no-phone policy implemented at the beginning of the school year. Interim superintendent Cory Pederson said improvements to student behavior were almost immediate.

In Warrenton and Astoria, middle schools have adopted a similar policy, while high schools have taken a slightly different route, allowing students to use phones during lunch and breaks.

“As students have been putting forth a good-faith effort of adhering to that expectation, I feel a reciprocal allowance of allowing them to have their cellphones during unstructured times such as passing periods or lunch,” said Lynn Jackson, Astoria High School’s principal.

So far, the arrangement has been effective.

“We have found that that universal expectation has really gone well,” Jackson said. “Because of strong habits and connections to their devices, we still do have some students who use their cellphones every once in a while, but really the level of adherence to this expectation has exceeded my expectations.”

As Knappa High School transitions to a bell-to-bell policy, Fritz said it’ll be starting without Yondr pouches. The pouches can present steep upfront and ongoing costs — and after seeing students in Astoria honor school cellphone polices without them, he’s hopeful that Knappa students will see the incentive to follow the rules on their own accord.

“We’re going to start by trusting our kids to do what they need to do, and I think our students will rise to the occasion,” Fritz said.