The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District started the new school year with new rules prohibiting cell phones during school hours in accordance with state law.
The Phone-Free School Act requires every school district, charter school and county office of education in California to develop a policy limiting smartphone use by next summer. At Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools, students are expected to put their phones in designated storage compartments at the start of class unless otherwise directed by a teacher. Cell phone use and nonconsensual recording and photographing of other people are also prohibited in restrooms, locker rooms or other areas where privacy is expected. Students are allowed to use their cell phones before and after school and during lunch and passing periods.
“We started the conversation on this topic last year by getting feedback from students, families and staff to ensure that this change will support the best possible learning experience for our students,” said district Superintendent Heath Rocha. “By setting clear expectations, we can minimize distractions, encourage meaningful interactions and help our students make the most of their time on our campuses.”
Tanya De La Cruz, public information and engagement officer for the district, said it was important for district officials to get feedback from parents, students and staff when crafting the policy. They looked at phone bans from different districts, asked stakeholders about their experiences and asked about what discipline should look like. The guidelines were approved by the school board, she added.
“We tried to just be super open and transparent with everyone, just make sure we heard from everybody, and of course, it’s not going to be the most popular decision, but I think the way that we did it was just making sure this isn’t going to be a surprise,” De La Cruz said.
The most pushback to the policy came from students who were mostly concerned about when they could access their cell phones, De La Cruz said. Many students said they used their phones to organize club events or study groups in between classes. On the other hand, parents’ main concern was wanting to be able to get ahold of their child in an emergency. According to a school district press release, families are directed to call the school’s main office during the day. There will be exceptions for students with disabilities with Individualized Education Program or 504 plans.
Chloe Lublinerman, a junior at Saratoga High School, said that while phones can be a distraction for the user and those around them and used to cheat on exams, ultimately the policy underestimates students’ ability to take responsibility for their own education.
“We know that we shouldn’t use our phones because it affects us,” Lublinerman said. “It doesn’t affect the teacher, it doesn’t affect the parents, doesn’t affect the school; it affects us. And I think that by underestimating students like that, you’re almost acting like they’re children.”
She added that having students’ put their cell phones in a designated area can force some students to voice private concerns in the middle of the classroom when they need their phones. Being able to call a parent at all times can be a benefit, she said.
“I’ve had moments where I really want to talk to my mom, but my phone’s in the caddy and I don’t want to go up and explain why I would need it out of the caddy, so I’ll just suffer here for a minute,” Lublinerman said.
She advocated for more case-by-case discipline, like confiscating phones from people who are using them as a distraction in classrooms. The school district press release states that policy enforcement is progressive, starting with verbal reminders and notifications to parents or guardians, and may escalate to students having to check their phones in and out after repeated violations.
After hearing evidence of cell phone use shortening attention spans and seeing her peers use cell phones to play games during class or in other inappropriate ways, Saratoga High School senior Izna Khanna said she supports the policy. Khanna added that the school wasn’t taking away other devices like laptops, and if students really needed to message their parents, they could find a way to do so on their personal computers.
“The worst consequence is that they’ll take your phone away for either the year or the semester, so I think that really tells people that you shouldn’t use your phone,” Khanna said. “Maybe it should be put more individually, but to be honest, I think this might help a little bit more.”
Saratoga High School teacher Lisa Ginestet-Araki implemented a no-phones policy in her classroom when she started teaching 13 years ago, so it was easy for her to implement the new policy. She said the district policy it means that students don’t have to remember which teachers allow phones in their class and which don’t. She added that restricting phone use in classrooms has benefits for students.
“It actually encourages a little more socialization, which is nice,” Ginestet-Araki said. “And I think just their ability to focus on school work definitely increases.”