After a November 2024 vote by the Iowa City Community School Board ruling that cellphone use during class time would be banned, the approved policy went into effect district-wide on January 21, 2025. Under this new policy, phones are not to be used during instructional time, or the entire duration of a class period. This new policy mainly targets cell phones, however, headphones and earbuds are no longer allowed to be used during class time and smartwatches are not to be used for communication either.
At the high school level, students are permitted to use personal devices during passing periods, lunch, and open hours. However, at the district’s middle schools, personal devices are only allowed to be out during lunch and passing periods.
Under the new policy, students are given one warning at the beginning of class to secure their phones with ringers off in their backpacks, purses, lockers, or in the phone pockets in each classroom. Following that single warning, using their cell phones without expressed permission from an educator or administration is against the policy. Upon breaching the policy, students will be required to sign a document acknowledging that they broke the outlined rules and have their phones taken by a hall monitor.
The consequences of using a personal device change based on how many offenses a student has had; they are outlined below as they are listed in the description of the policy posted on the ICCSD’s website:
1st Offense: Loss of phone, earbuds, and/or headphones for a day; the student will receive their device(s) at the end of their school day.
2nd Offense: Loss of phone, earbuds, and/or headphones for a day; the student will receive their device(s) at the end of their school day; an additional infraction will result in parent/guardian(s) being contacted.
3rd Offense: Loss of phone, earbuds, and/or headphones for a day; Parent/guardian contacted by administration; student will receive their device(s) at the end of their school day. A parent/guardian meeting will be held if another infraction occurs.
4th Offense: Loss of phone, earbuds, and/or headphones until parent/guardian meeting. Administration contacts parents/guardians.
5th Offense: Technology Plan Implemented. Administration contacts parents/guardians; technology plan created during the parent/guardian meeting
With this policy now in place, students’ opinions are divided. Some students agree with implementing it, whether because they understand why it may be necessary or because they feel that not using personal devices during class time is not difficult.
“Why should I be so concerned about using my phone in the first place? I come to school to learn. I think it’s just a distraction anyway, so I don’t mind putting it away just for the 50 minutes I’m in class.” Greta Hayek ‘25 said.
Yet some students feel strongly that this new policy is not good, feeling like it is an unnecessary measure being taken when many students feel that they have no issue with the use of their phones during class time.
“I honestly did not use my phone in class often before this new policy, but the new rules do feel a bit extreme. The few people using their phones, at least that I see in my classes, don’t do it nearly enough for it to be considered this big of an issue.” Leo Partridge ‘25 said.
The results of this new policy and its overall effectiveness will most likely be the deciding factor in whether the current rules will continue in future academic years. Additionally, according to a press release from the Iowa Governor’s website, as of January 24, 2025, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds released a bill to restrict students’ cell phone use during instructional time; the minimum requirements for phone regulation outlined in this bill will be required for school districts across the state to adopt by July 1, 2025.
