Churchill County School District bans student use of electronic devices in the classroom

Beginning the 2022-23 school year, Churchill County School District will prohibit the use of personal electronic devices by students within classrooms at the middle school and Churchill County High School and will continue to prohibit the use of personal devices at the elementary schools.

Such devices include, but are not limited to, cellphones, smartwatches (when used for texting/calling/notifications, etc.), and personal tablets/technologies.

Students who need to use their cellphones as part of their accommodations for an individualized education plan, a 504, or an administrative approved reason will be allowed to use their personal device within the scope of their identified needs to ensure their health and safety.

Personal electronic devices may be disruptive and interfere with student learning for a number of reasons including, but not limited to, an inability to focus on in-class activities and not really “being there.” In addition, students are inundated with social media presence that can, at times, disrupt the learning experience if students use devices while in class.

The regulation states the following: “Secondary students may use electronic devices at the following specific times during the day provided that the use of such devices does not interfere with the instructional process: before and after school including on buses, during lunch period, and during passing periods as long as the device does not distract the student from arriving to class on time. Elementary students may have a device to use before and after school including on buses but shall not use their device during any part of the school day.

“Personal electronic devices shall not be displayed nor used inside the classroom or during the instructional process, in school buildings, or during the school day except at approved times. Electronic devices shall be “off” or on silent and not visible. All notifications shall be disabled during school hours. Students may wear smartwatches with notifications turned off. If a teacher is concerned about smartwatches being a distraction, it will be addressed similarly to a cell phone.”

 “Our goal is to provide an optimal learning-focused environment to meet each learner’s needs,” said Superintendent Dr. Summer Stephens. “To do this, we are working to reduce distractions as much as practicable, and we need your collective support to rally around our vision of increasing a learning focus while reducing the stress and anxiety that comes from cell phone use. We look forward to spending time together engaging with and learning from one another in our space.”
Kaitlin Ritchie is public information officer with the Churchill County School District.