Following the new state legislation HF 782 signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier this year, electronic devices are no longer permitted during instructional hours, marking a big change for schools and students this academic year.
“We didn’t feel we had wide-spread issues with cell phones, but research was clear with improved student engagement, social interactions, fewer distractions and most importantly reduced anxiety in students,” Solon Superintendent Davis Eidahl said. “The state law was timely and appreciated with having the flexibility to implement tighter restrictions by defining instructional time to include time outside the classroom.”
Eidahl says that because the district utilizes district-owned electronic devices, cellphones present in the classroom were not being used for learning, aside from communication purposes.
“The biggest school use of cell phones was communication,” Eidahl explained. “Coaches, directors and club sponsors often used group text for messaging and communication related to their activity.”
Eidahl believes that this policy has helped navigate issues with social media, which has been a major concern in previous years.
“A negative aspect to cell phones was often through social media,” he said. “There were times when administration was dealing with student issues resulting from misuse of social media.”
Eidahl also says that the district has seen a huge change in student engagement since the restrictions have gone into place, which aligns with research and trial-and-error test runs the district has looked into.
Although it’s too early for staff to evaluate long-term impacts, the initial results have been positive according to Eidahl, and cooperation from both students and staff have been a major part of this.
“Staff have done a great job with understanding the change and have shown grace early as everyone adjusts to the new policy,” he said. “Students in general have also been respectful with compliance. This is a big change and adjustment to many, but our students, staff and parents have all done a great job in the transition and implementation of the policy. Everything has its challenges, but we are navigating through those.”
Overall, Eidahl believes that the new policy implementation has been a smoother transition than anticipated and closely aligns with the school district’s goals and policies regarding student health and wellness.
“The district has really been committed to student wellness as well as academic achievement and career exploration and experiences,” Eidahl said. “The cell phone restriction policy aligns well with our wellness policy as we strive to build balance, perseverance, and communication skills in our students.”