Clark County school districts seek to curb kids’ cellphone use

Clark County school districts are gearing up for the forthcoming school year with new cellphone policies. In August 2024, state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal published guidance for districts and called upon them to adopt policies to reduce cellphone distraction by the start of the 2025-26 school year. Since then, districts took the year to develop a new policy or revise current policy. Battle Ground school board members approved a revision of the district’s current policy at their Monday meeting, while the Washougal and Ridgefield school boards heard first readings Tuesday of new or updated policies. Battle Ground’s new policy states that personal electronic devices (phones, iPads, headphones, gaming devices, etc.) must be off and away at all times throughout the school day for elementary school students. For middle and high school students, personal devices may be used before and after school. High-schoolers can use them during lunch and between classes. Emergencies may be an exception. The policy also states that a student involved in a school investigation will not have access to any phones or electronic devices while the investigation is in process. Students who violate the policy may be disciplined. Exceptions to the policy may be granted with permission from an administrator. Washougal is considering a new policy similar to Battle Ground’s around device use. “We do believe that it’s in the best interest of our students that personal devices are put away,” Washougal Superintendent Aaron Hansen said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We made some changes last fall with increasing our expectations (around our current policy), maybe holding students more accountable, and we heard very positive feedback from staff and from students.” Washougal’s proposed policy states staff may require students to place personal electronic devices in pouches or storage bins during class. Students are permitted to wear smartwatches but may not use the “smart” features, such as texting and internet searching, during the school day. “This is a new policy for us, new language, supported by OSPI (the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) in encouragement for districts to look at cellphone personal devices that are impacting student learning,” Hansen said. Ridgefield middle and high school teachers recommended a full ban on cellphone use in schools after reading “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” a 2024 book by Jonathan Haidt, during the 2024-25 school year, according to a district staff report. The district sent a survey to staff members and parents at the end of the 2024-25 school year to collect feedback on cellphone use in schools. The proposed policy bans student use of personal electronic devices at elementary schools. Middle and high school students must keep personal devices “off and away” at all times throughout the day, with certain exceptions, including health emergencies. Superintendent Jenny Rodriquez said the proposed updated policy includes significant revisions that align with “the majority choice” on the survey. Evergreen Public Schools revised its cellphone policy in April. At elementary and middle schools, devices may only be used before and after school, unless there’s an emergency. Personal device use will be restricted during instructional time at high schools. Individual schools can determine if personal devices can be used during noninstructional times. Vancouver Public Schools’ board in June approved a districtwide policy to restrict students’ cellphone use at school similar to Evergreen’s policy. La Center School District doesn’t plan on making changes to its 2007 policy, Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz wrote in an email. The policy states that devices should not be used to disrupt the educational process. They should only be used before and after school and during lunch, unless there’s an emergency or an administrator authorizes it. Camas and Green Mountain school districts’ policies are similar to La Center’s. Hockinson School District doesn’t have a districtwide cellphone policy in place. Teachers are free to set classroom expectations, but phones must be away during exams and state testing, district spokeswoman Mika Yoshida wrote in an email. Brianna Murschel: 360-735-4534; brianna.murschel@columbian.com Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; doug.flanagan@columbian.com

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