(KRON) — For thousands of Oakland Unified School District students, they will be faced with a new reality on their first day of school. Starting Monday, August 10, every school in the district will enforce a cell phone ban.
OUSD Superintendent Dr. Denise Saddler acknowledged that the ban will be a “significant change” for students.
Saddler wrote, “Every school day is now a Cell Phone Free Day. That means during class, between classes, and during lunch, students will NOT BE ALLOWED to use their cell phones.”
Nearly 34,000 students are enrolled in OUSD schools between transitional kindergarten and 12th grade. The policy change is happening because of a new California law and a June vote by the Board of Education.
Under the ban, a “cell phone” is defined as a smartphone or similar wireless communication device capable of calling, texting, or accessing the internet.
Exceptions to the ban include devices students need for documented medical conditions, or special needs included under a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan.
Oakland elementary schools will enforce the phone ban with single lock boxes in classrooms. Students will be required to place their cell phones in the boxes at the start of the day.
For middle and high schools, there will be Yondr Pouches. “With their phones secure, the students will get to carry around the pouches, with no ability to access them, until the end of the day when they will be unlocked. All pouches will be unlocked at dismissal, giving students access to their phones after school is over,” Saddler wrote.
Using cell phones at school has multiple layers of negative impacts on students, according to district officials.
“We know that when students are playing with their phones, they are not paying attention in class. Likewise, phones along with social media can cause not only distractions, but also conflict between students. This new policy is intended to help keep those conflicts to a minimum. Phone use can also slow the growth of social skills in some students, which is partly why phone use will not be allowed during lunch and longer breaks so students can more easily engage with each other in person. Smart phone use can be addictive. This new policy will help students better control their phone use, and prevent them from excessively engaging online,” Saddler explained.
Students use their cellphones as they leave school on Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/ Damian Dovarganes, File)
Students may access a stored phone only for:
A genuine health or safety emergency, as determined by a teacher or school administrator.
When a teacher, administrator, or doctor authorizes it. A student who believes they need emergency access should tell a teacher or the front office.
In situations in which families need to immediately contact their student, calling the school is the recommended option.
During a school safety emergency, the district’s separate emergency communication and reunification procedures, not the phone policy, will determine how families are updated and reunited with students.
OUSD communicates with families through the ParentSquare platform.
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