South San Francisco school officials eye cellphone ban

The discussion Thursday, Dec. 12, featured no decision and instead granted officials a preliminary opportunity to ask Gelb questions about the policy and find out more information about the implementation. Superintendent Shawnterra Moore though said the discussion was brought before the board following a previous request by officials.

For his part, Gelb lauded the mandate for students to place their phones in Yondr pouches at the beginning of each school day, where they must stay until the final bell tolls.

And while celebrating the enhanced focus of students on campus without the potential distraction of screen time, Gelb acknowledged the focused administrative effort required to make the initiative work.

“We are trying to shift a culture,” said Gelb, according to video of the meeting.

When students arrive, they are required to lock their cellphones into the pouch which is sealed by teachers or staffers each morning by using a magnetic bay. Students keep their phones with them in the pouches until the final bell rings when they are unlocked each afternoon. The program was launched at San Mateo High School as a pilot program this year.

Yondr markets itself as a gateway to phone-free spaces. Also common at entertainment venues sensitive to the threat of crowd members recording material intended solely for a live audience, the San Francisco company is growing in popularity among educators.

San Mateo High School is the company’s largest ever public school client, according to Gelb, who has said his campus is regularly sharing information regarding implementation with other district schools.

To that end, he has said the program is tremendously popular with educators who struggle with the idea of going back to a campus where phones are permitted.

“The transition has been smooth so far and the teachers can’t imagine a classroom with screens in it,” he said.

At the prodding of South San Francisco school officials though, Gelb admitted the program is less popular with students.

He said school administrators have addressed more than 500 violations of the policy last school year, which requires a parent or guardian to come retrieve the phone from the campus and discuss the issue. This school year, the number of violations dropped to 20.

The violations span in nature from students attempting to break their phone free from the pouch to claiming they lost it. Each student is issued a pouch at the beginning of the school year and it must be returned or students are expected to pay for a replacement. The policy also requires extends to other mobile devices such as laptop computers and smart watches, noted Gelb.

Board Vice President Eddie Flores questioned whether officials have encountered many instances of students experiencing anxiety over separation from their phones. Gelb acknowledged isolated instances, and said medical exemptions can be issued when required, but balanced that perspective by noting most students are able to adjust over time.

“It’s a real thing,” said Gelb, regarding screen addiction experienced by some teens. To that end, he said surveys suggested some teens at the school will spend an average of between seven to 10 hours per day on their phone, if not impeded.

Such reliance on technology requires a comprehensive effort by teachers, administrators and support staff to assure the ban is working as intended, said Gelb.

“It’s taking a lot of time and energy and effort to get where we are,” he said.

But that investment has proved worth it, said Gelb, who said the ban helps officials assure students are spending a majority of their time focused on learning.

“They are on our campus to be engaged with their teachers, their peers and really learn from what is really going on in the classroom,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105

Note to readers: This story has been changed. The number of misuse violations last school year was more than 500, with that number dropping to 20 this school year.