Based on his experience as a school administrator outside of LT, Board of Education (BOE) member Tim Albores has become a proponent of a cell phone ban in schools. In his two years serving on the board, parents have reached out to Albores in request of action on the issue of cell phones in school. 

“I really feel there are ways in which we can still do [the] educational component of teaching kids how to appropriately and safely use cell phones and still maintain the sanctity of that educational space,” Albores said. “[It’s] to ensure that kids have a place where they don’t have to worry about social media, they don’t have to worry about texting, they don’t have to worry about all the other stuff that’s happening outside of school, and just focus on their education.”

On Nov. 4, the BOE discussed a resolution, originally proposed by an Edwardsville school district, that supported a state law banning cell phones in schools. The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) recommended “do not adopt” this resolution, however many BOE members were initially in favor of a statewide ban during the meeting. Following the meeting, the popular opinion of the BOE changed, and they ultimately voted against supporting the statewide ban, though board members still disagreed on the general idea of a cell phone ban. 

“My feeling is that you don’t need a statewide ban and have to kind of hide behind that statewide ban in order to implement it,” BOE member Michael Thomas said. “If the school board really wanted to do that they could do that now themselves.”

Following the meeting, the IASB convened at its annual Delegate Assembly on Nov. 24, where representatives from member school boards—including Jill Beda Daniels representing the LT BOE—voted on resolutions. The initial IASB recommendation on the statewide cell phone ban was appealed; however, the Delegate Assembly voted to not reconsider the resolution, effectively ending widespread support for the ban. 

“I think, in theory, it would seem easy to implement a statewide policy, but the practice and the implementation of that would be the challenge,” Superintendent Dr. Brian Waterman said. “If we had a complete cell phone ban, we would have to then have the conversation about what that means. Does that mean that the students have to keep their cell phones at home and not bring them on campus at all? Because personally, I think that creates a lot of challenges for kids from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. when [they have] practices and games, and they’re trying to line up rides home and communicate with their families and friends.” 

The current procedures in place were developed collaboratively by leadership from LT’s team and LT Education Association (LTEA); this includes cell phones not being allowed in classrooms unless express permission has been granted by staff members, Waterman said. 

“My personal opinion is that the changes made this year with our cell phone procedures have had a positive impact,” Waterman said. “However, our team will continue to collaborate with our staff to see if there are ways that we can continue to make improvements. Ultimately, students have a much more positive experience in their classrooms if they don’t have the distraction of the cell phone.”

In terms of procedural implementation, the results have led to mixed opinions.

“Cell phone [procedure] is not consistent,” Thomas said. “I fear that inconsistency has an overall not so positive effect, so if there is more consistency, I believe that helps overall in terms of enforcement.” 

New to this year, official language with teachers in regards to cell phones has changed and moved to a mindset where cell phones are not allowed in classrooms, Waterman said.

“The feedback, I know, from our staff has been pretty positive, but we know we need to continue to have this conversation [and] see if there are ways we can impact it,” Waterman said. “But as with anything, the implementation of that is always where the challenges are and so from a superintendent perspective, I can imagine that if we had a cell phone ban, we would have to then have the conversation about what that means specifically.”

Among the BOE, the consensus is that cell phones are harmful to the learning environment.

“It’s kind of like [how] back in the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s smoking was okay,” Albores said. 

“Doctors were recommending for people to have cigarettes like it wasn’t a bad thing, and then we realized how awful they truly are. I think we’re going through the same thing right now with social media and cell phone and internet usage, where we often felt like it was okay without really realizing the damage. Now we’re starting to realize that we have an obligation as adults, as administrators, as school officials and legislators to start putting in some parameters to make sure that our kids stay safe.”