New Oakland Unified policy bans student phone use during entire school day

With the first day of school swiftly approaching, the Oakland Unified School District announced it would implement a full phone ban to curb the negative impacts of cell phones in its schools.

The ban will be implemented across the district starting Aug. 10, interim superintendent Denise Saddler announced on Tuesday. Students will not be allowed to use their phones during class, between classes, or during lunch.

The sweeping ban is based on a new state law that required every school district, charter school, and county office of education to develop a policy limiting smartphone use by July 1 of this year. The Oakland Board of Education decided in June that its new policy would be to make "...all day, every day, in every school completely cell phone free for all students," Saddler said.

The plan for how exactly to restrict phone use will be adjusted based on the needs of each age group. Saddler said elementary schools will primarily rely on single lock boxes to store phones in classrooms, while middle schools and high schools will use Yondr pouches that secure students' phones during the day but can be carried around.

The district will provide these resources, she added.

The guidelines in the state law and the board's policy are based on a need to eliminate distractions from learning in school, and the possibility that phones and social media might be a source of conflict between students. Saddler said the goal of a no-phone school environment would be to minimize these conflicts.

According to Saddler, phone use can also slow the development of social skills in some students, which is one reason the district will not allow students to use their phones during breaks and lunch.

"Likewise, as we adults well know, smart phone use can be addictive. This new policy will help students better control their phone use, and prevent them from excessively engaging online," the superintendent said.

The ban does not include any device a student might need for a documented medical condition or under an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan, which helps ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities, Saddler added.

Aside from those conditions, there are a few other reasons a student might be permitted to access their phone. Saddler said the new policy has been developed to align with state law, allowing a student to use a stored phone only if there is a genuine health or safety emergency, determined by a teacher or school administrator, or when a teacher, administrator, or the student's doctor authorizes it.

Given the historical use of cell phones by students in school emergencies to communicate with family and authorities, this ban raises questions about how students will be able to do that if their phones are locked away.

Saddler said that a student who believes they need emergency access should tell a teacher or the front office. If for some reason a parent needs to contact their student right away, she recommended calling the school directly, or emailing their student for anything non-urgent.

During emergencies, Saddler emphasized that the district's separate crisis communication and reunification procedures, not the phone policy, will govern how families are updated and reunited with students.