DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Public School District has been ahead of the curve for curbing the use of cell phones during instructional time.
Last year, Hoover High School served as the district’s pilot before the districtwide rollout. The policy was adopted by the Des Moines Public School Board in the spring.
“One of the things that we have looked at is ensure that there is a cell phone policy based on grade level,” said Dr. Ian Roberts, Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. “Grades nine through 12, six through eight , and Pre-K through five. And so while there is a district-wide policy that will guide how school leaders and their teams and students respond, we also want to make sure that those individuals really have the agency, based on the context, to implement a policy that really makes a lot of sense.”…