District reports midyear results from ‘Phone Away, Learn Today’ pilot; staff largely supportive, perception gap with students persists

Washoe County School District staff reported midyear findings on the Phone Away, Learn Today pilot on April 22, saying early outcomes indicate positive classroom impacts but also a large perceptual gap between students and staff about the role of cell phones in learning.

"Ninety-three percent of high school students agree that cell phones can be a useful tool to help students learn," said Laura Davidson, director of research and evaluation, summarizing pre-launch perception data the district collected. By contrast, Davidson said substantially higher shares of staff identified phones as a distraction: "Only a third of our high school students thought [phones were a distraction], compared to 90% of high school staff." Davidson and principals warned that the perception gap complicates enforcement and called for additional teacher supports.

District staff described implementation steps taken since the pilot launched in January: a regulation establishing expectations, a communications toolkit, front-office training, classroom social-emotional-learning lessons to introduce the policy to students, and ordering storage "phone units" for sites. Campuses used different local practices — locked pouches, teacher discretion, or assigned cubbies — and the district emphasized that consistency through monitoring and principal calibration is needed.

A March staff survey of 456 certified staff and 15 principals showed 87% of respondents who noticed a change described the pilot's impact as positive or very positive. "About 64% of staff said it reduced cell phone use during instructional time," Davidson said. But only 42% of staff rated it easy for students to follow the new rules, and 57% said enforcement was easy or very easy — signs training and walk‑through monitoring are needed.

Nicole Vasquez, volunteer services lead, who works with schools on volunteer and front-office operations, said she has observed large, positive changes in classrooms during the pilot: "I'm walking into classrooms and I'm seeing that there's, like, absolutely no phones out at all… I think they are a big distraction though. They are a huge distraction." Vasquez spoke from school visits and site monitoring.

Student focus groups — some led by trained students — reinforced the complexity. Students want rules, they said, but many want access to phones for safety and family communication. Schools reported middle schools already had relatively strict phone practices while high schools began the pilot from a looser baseline; principals asked for guidance on how to phase enforcement for freshmen and sophomores.

District administrators said next steps include a summer planning cycle to complete teacher professional development, strengthen classroom monitoring tools (walk‑through forms and tech checks), coordinate parent outreach via Parent University, and update regulations if newly enacted state law (AB 444) requires changes.

Superintendent Joe Ernst and board members praised the broad stakeholder process and asked staff to report back in June with year‑end behavior data and a recommended plan for full implementation in 2025–26.

What the data shows (selected points staff cited) - Pre-launch perception gap: high school students largely view phones as useful; staff view phones as disruptive. - Staff response (March): 87% of staff who saw an impact rated the pilot positive; 64% said phone use during instruction declined. - Implementation: elementary sites reported little change (few students have phones); middle schools generally tighter pre‑pilot; high schools face the most change management.

Board members and staff agreed that sustaining gains will require teacher training, calibrated administrative monitoring, attention to device readiness (teachers reported slow device boot times in some classrooms), and clearer, consistent communications to families.