SPOKANE, Wash. – Students heading back to high school in the Mead School District will have to get used to keeping their phones out of sight during class, as the district restricts the use of cell phones in class.
Mead School District is changing the policy for high school students, saying that classrooms will be cell-phone free. That’s already the policy for elementary and middle school students.
In its discussion of the policy change earlier this summer, the school board cited a Healthy Youth Survey that says “50% of 10th graders shared that they believe their internet and screen time use is a problem.”
In that study , 58% of 10th grade girls in Spokane County said they thought internet and screen time was a problem for them, compared to 35% of boys.
In a letter sent home to high school parents this month, the district said teachers and administrators will “universally enforce a ‘distraction-free’ classroom environment.”
This means students can’t use phones, earbuds/headphones and any other forms of wearable technology in class during the school day.