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Superintendent reports 258 new families and describes roll-out of classroom "cell phone hotel" policy
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Wilson Turner reported district enrollment gains and described implementation of a new classroom cell-phone policy that uses in-class 'cell phone hotels' to limit distraction; he said students have largely adapted and the district will continue to monitor implementation.
Dr. Wilson Turner, the district superintendent, reported to the Board of Education that the district welcomed 258 new families this fall, including about 158 elementary students and more than 50 additional middle-, high-school, and prekindergarten students. "We welcome 258 new families to SHEN this fall," he said during his superintendent's report.
Dr. Wilson Turner also discussed the district's new cell-phone policy. He described classroom practices at several schools, telling the board that some teachers are using a visible in-class "cell phone hotel" where students place phones on entry to avoid distraction while retaining visibility of the device. "They have full visibility of it, so they know it hasn't gone anywhere, but it's not distracting them," he said. He said most students "have risen to the occasion" and staff will continue to seek feedback from families.
Why it matters: student-device policies affect classroom management, instructional time and parent communications during drills or emergencies. The superintendent said the district will continue to monitor feedback from families, students and staff and adjust practices as needed.
Other operational notes from the report: the superintendent thanked staff and trustees for attending opening-week activities and described professional learning and conference-day presentations intended to support teachers. The board also noted that student interviews about the cell-phone policy were aired on local news the morning of the meeting.
Next steps: the superintendent said the district will collect ongoing feedback and that a student training session for board student representatives is scheduled next Wednesday and will be live-streamed.
