Students in Clovis face tougher texting, smartphone rules in class. See the details
Clovis Unified School District is doubling down enforcement this upcoming school year to prohibit students from using electronic devices during class time, unless teachers approve it for educational purposes.
When the new academic year starts on Aug. 19, students are required to turn off their phones in classrooms and in spaces such as locker rooms and restrooms where people have an expectation of privacy, according to an email sent to Clovis Unified families earlier this week. Other rules with stepped-up enforcement include prohibiting listening to music, using headphones or earbuds, recording audio and visuals, and posting on social media during instructional periods.
The policies aren’t new, said Kelly Avants, Clovis Unified spokesperson, but now the district is stressing consistent enforcement in all secondary school sites to improve student attention and social engagement and to support teachers in the classroom.
“We now have a one-to-one computer ratio for our students, so there’s not as much of a need to have individual phones out,” said Avants.
The reminder was sent out the same week as Governor Gavin Newsom’s letter to all school districts calling on restricting smartphone use in classrooms. He used Bullard High in Fresno as an example of successful enforcement.
“The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions,” the letter wrote. It mentioned Bullard High in Fresno, which has been implementing Yondr Pouch to lock phones during school hours, has shown higher test scores, student engagement, and less bullying and damage to school facilities.
Avants said the district instituted rules for electronic device use more than ten years ago, but technology has changed rapidly and dramatically. After having conversations with teachers last year, Avants says the district decided the time was right to step up implementation and tighten restrictions.
“Our teachers feel that’s going to make a big difference having students behave this way related to their devices,” she added. “Every secondary school, every teacher, we’re all on the same page, we’re all having those expectations.”
Avants said Clovis Unified’s decision to ban phones was not tied to Newsom’s letter. It was part of the normal back-to-school communication, she said.
At the secondary level, students can use phones during recess, lunch or between classes, except for areas where students have a right to privacy and on occasions where it interferes with their ability to hear school announcements.
Elementary schools don’t allow phones to be used on campus.
Additionally, individual teachers and campuses have the freedom to determine specific phone use policies in class, such as allowing electronic devices for educational purposes or asking learners to put the devices in special pouches to limit phone use.
“Individual teachers continue to have autonomy over their instructional strategies, their lessons,” Avants said, “how they choose to integrate the device with the expectation being really clear that it needs to be for an educational purpose.”
For those who violate the phone policy, the devices will be confiscated by teachers and staff, and they can be picked up from the Student Services Office at the end of the school day, according to the email. The district says that it is not responsible for lost or stolen devices and won’t investigate such instances, unless a confiscated device goes missing, which is very rare, Avants said.
The phone ban does not inhibit communication between parents and children. School offices can always help to exchange messages, and in emergencies, students are allowed to use phones.
“I want to reassure families that we’re not saying you can’t bring them,” said Avants. “You can have it in your pocket, have it stored in your backpack, or if that teacher is using a pocket mechanism, you know you have it right there, it’s in the class with you.”
This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 12:29 PM.
