Consistent enforcement of Houston ISD’s new student cellphone ban is reportedly having a positive impact, to the delight of parents.
Last year, Carmen Berumen found herself receiving text messages from her son while he was at school. She told the Houston Chronicle that she had to remind him not to send messages during class. She said that his cellphone use also cost her money, as the district has a policy that requires parents to pay a fine to get their child’s confiscated phone back.
However, the district implemented a stricter phone policy this school year. The updated rules now mandate that students keep their phones in their backpacks throughout the school day.
“For me, it’s great. The phones are a necessity for safety, but it also takes away from their learning and distracts them, so as a parent, it’s been a good thing,” Berumen told the Houston Chronicle.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Houston ISD was taken over by the state in June. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath appointed a board of managers and Superintendent Mike Miles to run the school district following chronic underperformance at a campus.
Houston ISD, the biggest public school system in Texas, has struggled in terms of student achievement outcomes. During the 2021-2022 school year, only 43% of students scored at grade level on their STAAR exams. Additionally, more than 14% of students in its graduating Class of 2022 did not earn a diploma in four years. Still, the district managed to perform a bit better than Dallas ISD, where only 41% of students scored at grade level on the STAAR that school year. Its on-time graduation rate was 81.1%.
Despite the stricter policy, Houston ISD has not reported increased disciplinary actions related to cellphone confiscation. Miles said that the goal is not to penalize students but to create an environment conducive to learning.
“We do not want cellphones out during class time,” he said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
