The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District has beefed up its cell phone policy to limit classroom disruptions.
Monday night, the GCISD school board unanimously voted on a new, stricter cell phone policy that would fine repeat offenders $15. The changes will come into effect this next school year; however, the new rules differ for the district’s elementary, middle, and high school students.
- Elementary schoolers: All cell phones or similar devices must be turned off and stowed away in a backpack, purse, or locker at all times throughout the school day.
- Middle schoolers: All cell phones or similar devices must be turned off and stowed away in a backpack, purse, or locker at all times throughout the school day, except at lunch.
- High schoolers: All cell phones or similar devices must be turned off and stowed away in a backpack, purse, or locker at all times throughout the school day, except at lunch and during passing periods.
District employees have the authority to confiscate cell phones and similar devices for the school day if students fail to comply with the new rules. If the rules are broken four or more times, the offender will face a $15 fine.
Students may use personal devices for certain activities if permitted by their teachers. However, the new policy includes strict bans on “any device capable of capturing images … in locker rooms or restroom areas.” Moreover, the principal must approve any student-tracking safety device with audio-visual transmission or recording capabilities prior to use due to student privacy concerns.
District officials have communicated with parents to ensure they understand the new policy and help their children follow the guidelines.
“It’s really hard to enforce that when [the] people they’re calling are their parents,” GCISD trustee Dianna Sager said, according to Fox 4 KDFW. “[Sic:] It would really help in understanding when their lunchtime is and they can reach them in passing period. By the way, passing period is only 5 minutes.”
In the agenda item considered by trustees, the district acknowledged that some parents might consider their children having access to their phones necessary for safety reasons. However, they have asked parents to relay urgent messages through the school instead.
The new cell phone policy aims “to reduce distractions for students during the school day and to minimize interruptions to the learning process for all students.”
“I think [teachers] understanding that they have our full support to do that in order to improve the learning outcomes will be critical,” GCISD trustee Dalia Begin said, according to WFAA.
Several other North Texas school systems have made similar moves, such as Keller ISD, which recently instituted a new ban on cell phones and headphones. Dallas ISD has a policy requiring all smart devices to be switched off and locked in students’ lockers throughout the school day. Failure to comply can result in confiscation of the devices, incremental fines of up to $15, and disciplinary action.
Such policies have all been enacted to limit students’ distractions in the classroom and boost academic performance. Classroom misbehavior has been a serious issue in the wake of the lockdowns seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, making catching up on learning losses even more challenging, as previously covered in The Dallas Express.
Texas students were still lagging behind pre-pandemic scores in math and science on this Spring’s STAAR exams.
With the release of the 2023 accountability report from the Texas Education Agency significantly delayed by legal disputes, it is difficult to know how Dallas ISD is faring. In 2021-2022, only 41% of Dallas ISD students scored at grade level or above on their STAAR exams compared to the statewide average of 48%.
District officials appear to be satisfied with the direction in which things are going. The STAAR results for Spring 2024 show some improvements in reading, yet students’ math and science scores continue to be subpar. For example, only 18% of students met grade level in grade 5 science, and only 32% did so in grade 6 math.