District advisory committee recommends stricter cell‑phone rules, enforcement and family education after brief survey results

Nikki Ramirez Jennings, DCAC impact study chair, and Helen Swanson presented a DCAC report on the district’s recently adopted acceptable personal electronic device policy and national trends on cell‑phone restrictions.

Ramirez Jennings said the DCAC reviewed national guidance, interviewed a member of the Kansas State Board of Education Blue Ribbon Task Force on student screen time and conducted separate staff, parent and student surveys. The committee’s top recommendations included restricting personal electronic devices for the entire instructional day, clarifying expectations and consequences, uniform implementation, proactive family communication, alternative emergency contact systems, and adoption of digital‑media literacy curriculum. The DCAC recommended resurveying stakeholders after a longer implementation window.

Swanson summarized survey results: staff responses leaned toward modest improvement in student engagement, parents reported little observable change—likely due to the short interval between policy enactment in August and the November survey—and student responses were mixed or neutral. The staff survey showed about 20% reported significant improvement and about 17% somewhat improved; parent responses were largely neutral or reported no change; student responses included positive, neutral, negative and “unsure” categories.

Board members asked for more detail. Several requested disaggregated survey results by grade level and school; administrators said they would provide that breakdown and additional data on academic correlation. The board agreed to continue discussion at a May work session and to circulate the written DCAC recommendations to members. No policy change was voted on at the meeting; DCAC members asked the district to distribute the written recommendations to the board and to schools.