WA's Peninsula School District bans cell phones, ignites a shift in student engagement

GIG HARBOR, Wash. - In a world where teenagers are inseparable from their cell phones, Peninsula School District in Pierce County is making a bold move.

Hundreds of students are being challenged to navigate the better part of the day without their devices. Curious about this initiative, FOX 13 Seattle visited Gig Harbor High School, where the absence of cell phones in classrooms is strikingly noticeable.

"At first it was more like shock. ‘Like wait, what?’" 9th grader Chase Nichols said.

The Peninsula School District has done what no large district in Washington has done before: banned cell phones in classrooms and between classes.

"I remember last year in our AP West History class, our teacher loves his job … he loves it so much. He would have these awesome stories to tell, awesome lectures to give, literally the entire class would be on their phones while this poor guy is just talking," senior Lola Hawkins said. "'It’s like what?' The audacity."

After hearing Lola’s statement, FOX 13 Seattle had to go look for that history teacher.

"Compared to 15 to 20 years ago when you had some jokes, and you said something unusual that was kind of like unusual and kids were really excited about it," history teacher Jim Greetham said. "These days there is no way you can compete with the very best production value in the world."

So, with the cell phone ban in place for the better part of a year, we asked Greetham if there was less competition for attention.

"Thirty times a day I will say to the kids, can you put your phone away please … they still want to push it," Greetham said.

Clearly, it’s a work in progress, but overall, Principal Michele Suiter says it’s making a huge difference.

"When I go into the classroom, I see very different levels of engagement across the board from two years ago … a year ago," Suiter said.

At Gig Harbor High School, kids can still use their phones at lunch. But other schools like Kopachuck Middle School have chosen to restrict cell phones during lunch.

"We don’t even have cell phones even at lunchtime and that has made a huge difference in the way that they engage with each other," Kopachuck Middle School Principal Kelsey Parke told FOX 13 Seattle.

Students are allowed to use their cell phones during emergencies, but other than that, they are stowed away in their backpacks or lockers. In some classrooms, they even have special phone holders.

"This is not about catching kids being bad; this is about helping kids learn how to learn again," said Suiter.

Suiter and Parke say the school board and the district did a good job of getting the community to buy into the idea before the rules were set. They also say they heard from parents who wanted the restrictions leading to a smooth transition.

By now the shock is gone for Nichols, replaced by willing acceptance.

"A lot of people seem happier, a lot of people seem more engaged," Nichols said.

"No one would talk to each other, like during breaks everyone would be on their phones … on Snapchat and talking to other people," Hawkins said. "Now that we can’t have our phones we are talking to each other."

The buy-in took time, but thousands of kids in the Peninsula School District are finding a new relationship with their phones. In turn, leading to more conversation and more connections.

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