In January, we asked you to give us feedback on potential cell phone restrictions at school. 

Here’s what we heard and our next steps.

Your feedback informed our thinking in a number of critical areas.

• There is strong support for clear, consistent, district-wide guidelines and consistent enforcement across schools and classrooms. 
• We heard loud and clear that parental support will be essential to successful implementation, and frequent communication must support this effort.
• Staff, parents, and some students recognize a need for more education about digital wellness to support students' well-being at school and beyond.

Survey Results: See data tables below.

Elementary
Teachers and parents overwhelmingly support a full-day restriction on cell phones and smartwatches for elementary students during the school day.

Middle School
Teachers and parents support a full-day restriction on cell phones and personal technology for middle school students during the school day. Middle school students do not support a full-day restriction.

High School
Teachers, parents, and students were presented with three potential approaches to cell phone use, defined below. Currently, teachers determine whether cell phones and personal devices may be used during class time.

• Teachers and parents support a Classroom Restriction on cell phones for students.
• Students prefer the current Teacher-Directed approach.
• Parents and students would not support a Full-Day Restriction on cell phones, though most teachers would.
• When asked to rank their preferences, teachers and parents gave the highest ranking to the Classroom Restriction approach.

• The Cell Phone Subcommittee will draft how to implement clear, consistent high school cell phone guidelines and restrictions for the 2025-26 school year.
• Parkway administration will present a recommendation to the Board of Education at its March 12 meeting. Parents and staff can expect to hear from us before the meeting to learn more about our recommendations.
• On April 16, the board is scheduled to vote on policy updates necessary to implement changes for the 25-26 school year. 
  
  

Feedback from both the Project Parkway 3.0 process and input from this year’s Key Communicators group indicated families and Parkway staff members are increasingly concerned about the negative impact of personal technology devices on student learning and classroom management.

In the fall of 2024, the Cell Phone Study Committee, a subcommittee of the Innovation and Technology Committee, began its work. This group, comprised of certified staff, principals, assistant principals, and district leaders, reviewed literature on technology use and researched cell phone policies in other local and national districts. The group also conducted a small-scale survey of teachers at each level.

Key Study Findings

The final report from the committee can be found in its entirety here, and the key findings outlined in the executive summary were:

• There is a strong belief the prevalence of distractions caused by cell phones and personal devices is taking a toll on student achievement and mental health.
• Parkway’s current approach to limiting student cell phone use is inconsistent across levels, within those levels, and within individual schools.
• Nationwide, there are mixed approaches to addressing student cell phone use at school and the effectiveness of those approaches is inconsistent.
• The body of reviewed research supports neither a total ban on student cell phone use nor unfettered access to cell phone use. 

View the report from the Cell Phone Subcommittee here. 

Feedback from both the Project Parkway 3.0 process and input from this year’s Key Communicators group indicated families and Parkway staff members are increasingly concerned about the negative impact of personal technology devices on student learning and classroom management.

The Cell Phone Subcommittee report highlights key themes around the benefits of reduced cell phone use by students in school.

• Reduction of Distractions

  • Teachers noted that eliminating or reducing cell phone and personal technology use during the school day would reduce distractions and improve focus. The goal is to increase student engagement, reduce disruptions, and help students concentrate on their learning.

• Improved Social Interactions

  • There is strong support for limiting phone usage to encourage face-to-face interactions among students. Respondents believe that removing phones will help students develop better communication and social skills and foster stronger peer relationships.

• Mental Health and Well-being:

  • The absence of phones, personal devices and social media distractions is expected to reduce anxiety, cyberbullying, and emotional stress. There is a desire to mitigate the negative impacts of excessive screen time, including the potential for addiction and mental health concerns.