Editorial: Hawkins schools on right track with cellphone ban

Cheers for the Hawkins County School District, which has announced that it will fully enforce a cellphone policy in middle and high schools.Given that decision, the district should have no problem supporting a statewide ban, as is under discussion among school districts in Tennessee.The district approved a cellphone ban in 2022, but it was never fully enforced, according to Director of Schools Matt Hixson.The policy states that middle school students' cellphones and other electronic devices are to be turned off and not visible upon a student's arrival to school (entering the school building) until the end of the student's school day.High school students are not permitted to use cellphones during or between classes except for academic purposes. But even then, it must be under the direct supervision of a classroom teacher.But does "full enforcement" already exempt lunch, or, is the district making an exception to its policy?"We're not enforcing that whole-scale at lunchtime," Hixson said. "We're trying to teach them to act as adults."All well and good, if adults use cellphones during meals. According to Cal State East Bay Professor of Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation Thomas Padron, adults should not have cellphones at the table."They should be turned off or silenced. If you need to field a call or text, excuse yourself from the table and go to a location away from the dining area. Remember, if your phone is out, this indicates that it is more important than the person(s) you are dining with," Padron says.The intent of the ban is to keep students focused on other things — learning, for instance."Roughly 10 to 20% — depending on the school — of our discipline time is dealing with issues stemming from cellphone use," Hixson said.He said this number has improved from 30 to 40% after the no-phone use was first implemented. Hixson said bullying occurs through cellphone use in school with students posting things on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Cellphone use also can spread word about student disagreements and fights at school.But students are expected to use their phones appropriately during lunch — whatever that means. Otherwise the cellphone use ban could extend to that time as well.Hixson said students caught using their cellphones will receive verbal warnings before potentially having the device confiscated."We hope to not get to that point with any of them, truthfully," Hixson said. "Honestly, last year there was a handful of issues when we tightened up the no use in the classroom rule, and by the last part of the first semester last year, most of those issues had been resolved."Hixson said it is the teachers' responsibility to enforce the policy consistently and that many teachers and administrators are on board with the policy."Many" is unacceptable. All teachers must enforce the policy, or be disciplined including termination."We've gotten very good feedback, very much supported by the teachers and administration in heading this way," Hixson said.He acknowledged there was some backlash from parents and students but said they were in the minority.Although there may be instances when high school students need to be on a device throughout the day because of various responsibilities, Hixson said either permission needed to be granted by the teacher, or they can use a Chromebook that is made available to every student who needs it.Good move! Other districts should emulate it without waiting for the state to enact a ban.Students caught using their cellphones will receive verbal warnings before potentially having the device confiscated.