The Iowa City Community School District is inching closer to tightening its cell phone policy, with a specific emphasis on the middle school level.
The discussion arrives a year after the district implemented a partial cellphone ban, requiring middle and high school students to silence and stow personal devices during instructional time.
Under the current policy, personal devices, including cell phones, headphones, and earbuds, can be confiscated from students during instructional time. At the middle and high schools, students can use cell phones during passing periods and lunch, and high school students can use devices during study hall and open periods.
Since the policy went into effect during the 2024-2025 school year, average violations have decreased from 150 per week to 104, according to board documents.
Stricter cell phone policy follows state legislation
The district began revisiting its cell phone policy in January but won’t take formal action until it receives student, staff, and family feedback. A stricter phone policy stems from a state-compliant policy that preceded Gov. Kim Reynolds’s signing of HF 782, which created a template for Iowa school boards to adopt cell phone policies. School boards must have policies compliant with the legislation, though they can also impose stricter rules.
If ICCSD was to adopt a stricter policy, it would likely mirror the Cedar Rapids Community School District, where students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices, including cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and headphones, at any point during the school day.
What are the next steps for ICCSD’s cell phone policy?
For now, district leaders do not anticipate any immediate changes to the cell phone policy, but instead will review feedback for targeted adjustments rather than a sweeping overhaul.
Any changes might come at the middle school level, noting that recent survey data revealed that families would support tighter limits on cell phone use. Currently, the district’s three middle schools follow the same personal device policy as the high schools.
Board director Jayne Finch is in favor of “moving the needle to a more restrictive policy,” but is worried about increased workload for staff. She suggested a pilot program for a “bell-to-bell ban” at one of the middle schools to test how the stricter policy would work.
“I’m for moving the needle to a more restrictive policy, especially at the middle school level, but I also recognize the situation that we’re in, and that morale is low, and that it would be difficult for our teachers to take on any more than they’re already taking on right now,” Finch said. “I’m fine monitoring things right now and seeing how they play out in the next year.”
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: How a stricter Iowa City CSD cell phone policy will impact students
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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