FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – This school year, students across North Dakota will have to get used to no phones in schools.
West Fargo Public School students will not have access to personal devices, including smartwatches, from the start of the day to the end of the day. That includes during lunch and passing time.
“The old policy was during instructional time. So at the start of class, til the end of class, cellphones or personal devices should be put away. Now what we’re seeing is when students enter the building, they don’t have their devices from the start of the day to the end of the day,” said Assistant Supt. Vincent Williams with West Fargo Public Schools.
The offenses are as follows:
- First: The device is brought to the main office, and the student picks it up at the end of the day.
- Second: The device is brought to the main office, and the guardian has to get it at the end of the day.
- Third: The same as the second offense, in addition to the student being put on a behavior plan.
“But this will be a baseline year for us. From here on out, we will be able to monitor what’s the overall impact of the state law and this policy. What’s the overall impact on student learning?”
Over at Hillsboro Public School, it’s the same concept. Phones are off when students enter the building, and they’ll keep them in their lockers.
“We didn’t go with the bags to lock them in. We’re trusting students will be real cognizant of what they’re doing while they’re in our building, and we think that the consequences that we have will be strict enough where they won’t press those limits,” said Supt. Jon Dryburgh.
The offenses are as follows:
- First: The student needs to pick up the phone in the office at the end of the day.
- Second: The parent or guardian needs to pick up the phone in the office at the end of the day.
- Third: The phone will need to be dropped off every morning until the end of the semester.
“We’re trying to navigate through this. We’ll be fine, and our students will be fine. Our parents will be fine. It just takes a little bit of a shift, a gear shift for us. Once we get through that gear shift, we’ll be on the right track.”
