Ray Mariano: Proposed student cellphone policy would be a disaster

My favorite subject in high school was geometry. The kids in that class never gave Mr. Mooshagian any trouble. They were all too busy trying to keep up.

But Ms. Doran’s English class was different. Unlike geometry, which was an elective, everyone was required to take English so there was a mix of serious and not so serious students. Inevitably, there were always a few kids clowning around. Unfortunately for them, Ms. Doran ruled the classroom with a dictator’s heavy hand. It didn’t take students long to realize that nobody messed around in her class.

Teaching today is very different. I often wonder how my teachers would handle today’s classroom.

I hate sounding like my father, but students today have it easier than we did. In Worcester, teachers are often required to pass students who make little or no effort. Teachers tell me that even students with averages in the single digits either get to pass or get a grade high enough to qualify them for summer school and promotion to the next grade. Failures don’t look good on the school system’s stat sheet.

Teachers also tell me that some kids are repeatedly absent with little or no consequence and students who act out can get away with almost anything. All of this makes teaching a much more difficult job than in years past.

On top of everything else, today teachers also have to engage in what amounts to hand-to-hand combat with students over their cellphones.

Current cellphone policy

Worcester’s current policy, which prohibits most cellphone use, is a mess essentially leaving individual teachers to struggle with students over use of their phones. Some teachers manage better than others but almost all of them say that they waste valuable class time getting students to put their phones away.

Multiple teachers told me that students use phones in the hall and cafeteria filming student fights. A teacher told me that students have used their phones to film teachers and then edit the film to denigrate them.

Teachers say that some students flaunt their cellphone use and that the current policy is essentially unenforceable. A couple of teachers at one school told me that their secondary school tried to implement a disciplinary policy for students who refused to comply with the rules. In no time, the teachers said, the “office” became so overwhelmed that they just gave up.

Unfortunately, while the current student cellphone policy is often a losing battle, the School Committee is poised to turn it into a train wreck.

Proposed policy

The proposed policy is well intentioned but lacks any common sense. The policy envisions “harnessing the educational potential of technology” of the phones and insists that phones only be used for legitimate educational purposes. But it still relies on individual teachers to enforce the rules.

Not only do students get to use their phones but now they can wear earbuds. So when a teacher reminds a student walking into class wearing earbuds that they are only allowed to use their phones for educational purposes, the student can simply tell their teacher that they are listening to a podcast about the fall of the Roman Empire and then walk away listening to their music.

The funniest part of the four-page policy is titled “Consequences for Violations.” In a system where discipline is often avoided like the plague, no one really expects that teachers or administrators will do much about this.

So, while thousands of school districts across the country have chosen to regain control of their classrooms by banning phones, Worcester is getting ready to surrender.

Here’s why the proposed policy is a bad idea.

In numerous studies, students openly admit that they are addicted to using their phones. Researchers have linked a massive spike in loneliness, depression and mental illness to excessive cellphone use. Researchers have also connected cellphone use to increased bullying. On top of that, experts say that cellphones decrease face-to-face socialization between students during school.

Now consider this.

A highly respected international study showed that it takes a young brain 20 minutes to refocus after using a cellphone in a classroom. The 14-country study conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recommends, among other things, banning smartphones at school for children of all ages, calling the data “unequivocal” citing improved academic performance and less bullying.

Now apply the 20-minute refocus to another study that found that 97% of kids with phones (ages 11-17) used their phones while in school and averaged 43 minutes daily. The students typically picked up their phones 13 times during the day. Let’s see, that’s 43 minutes of use plus 13 times 20 minutes to refocus equals not much time left to focus on a teacher’s lesson.

Here in Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has launched a grant program to encourage districts to consider things like banning cellphones in school. So far, at least 78 districts have applied for a portion of the $800,000 available, which can be used to purchase pouches to hold phones during the day.

Oh, and for those who say that cellphones allow parents and students to communicate during a school emergency, experts caution that using phones and calling parents during an emergency is the exact opposite of what is called for with most safety protocols.

The proposed cellphone policy isn’t a bad idea — it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Teaching is already an incredibly difficult job. Take the phones away and give teachers a chance to teach.

Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano.telegram@gmail.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram.His endorsements do not necessarily reflect the position of the Telegram & Gazette.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Ray Mariano: Proposed student cellphone policy would be a disaster