Marietta Schools Considering New Cell Phone Policy

MARIETTA — The Marietta Board of Education is considering cracking down on cellphone, smart watch and social media usage for its middle school students.

Superintendent Grant Rivera has proposed providing pouches that will lock students’ devices throughout the school day, starting next year at Marietta Sixth Grade Academy and Marietta Middle School.

If approved, students will retain possession of the pouches once they are locked in the first period for the duration of the school day. The pouches — which can only be unlocked by school staff — would be unlocked at the end of the day, or in the case of an emergency.

“In the event of an emergency, whether it’s a recommended practice or not, because truth be told, Marietta Police Department will say, ‘I don’t want a child on their phone, I want a child listening to their teacher.’ But I acknowledge that to a family, the ability to reach your child during an emergency or after is real,” Rivera said.

As it stands, students are expected to keep their devices turned off and stowed away during school hours. But, Rivera acknowledged, getting students to follow that rule is easier said than done.

“No cellphones are supposed to be out. That has been a rule, that has been an expectation in the district and there are disciplinary consequences accordingly,” Rivera said. “I can tell you that as much as I wish, I could walk the hallways today in May and tell you that cellphones have been away the first day of August, that’s not the case.”

Mental health impact

The hope is to curb interruptions to student learning and limit the harassment, bullying and anxiety students suffer from social media and technology use.

Rivera made his soft pitch to the board with some sobering statistics.

According to the University of Michigan, the average middle school student receives a median of 240 notifications a day and spends roughly 43 minutes on their phone during the school day, impeding their and their peers’ ability to learn.

The same study found that children aged eight to 12 spend an average of five-and-a-half hours a day on screens consuming entertainment. That number jumps for kids aged 13 to 18, who spend eight-and-a-half hours a day on screens.

Much of that time is spent on social media, which can have detrimental impacts to children’s brain development.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the risk of depression and anxiety doubles in children aged 12 to 15 who spend more than three hours a day on social media.

“Cellphones and social media have become a catalyst for other types of things that, from a safety and security standpoint, we don’t want in our schools,” Rivera said. “... I don’t want any child comparing themselves to an Instagram or Snapchat filter.”

Parent communication

He noted that students who have a documented medical disability, such as diabetes, can qualify for an exception.

Rivera added that the schools will be responsible for improving communication access to parents who will no longer be a text away from their students during school hours.

“We will put in communication protocols so that way families can have confidence they can reach their child in the event they have a reason to do such,” Rivera said. “... I can imagine there are times when a child might text a parent and say ‘I don’t feel well’ and instead of going to the nurse, they go to the office. The parent comes and checks the kid out. We’ve gotta make sure we’ve got proactive communication that exists between the school nurse and the parent or guardian.”

Thursday morning, Rivera sent invites to stakeholders — including school staff, parents and affected students — giving them the opportunity to meet with him and provide feedback before he asks the board to approve a finalized policy at its June 18 meeting.

Part of that engagement will include educating families on how to mitigate their child’s screen time while at home.

“This problem is not isolated to a classroom. It’s not isolated to a cafeteria,” Rivera said. “... there’s a lot happening at home that I think we have a responsibility, as caring adults and as a district that is setting a vision for this, that we lean into our families and help and support them in ways across multiple languages, to make sure that they understand what they can be doing at home that compliments what we are trying to do during the school day.”

Though Tuesday night was simply a presentation, all seven school board members expressed optimism about the potential the pouches could have for students.

“I am glad to hear this connection to mental health because I think all of us have seen in TV and in studies how these social media platforms are obliterating young kids’ sense of self, their psyche. They’re being obliterated by these apps,” board member Angela Orange said. “By the time they even make it to high school, their sense of self is greatly diminished.”