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Fridley principals describe 'away for the day' approach as district prepares cell-phone policy
Summary
District principals told the Fridley school board they have seen increased student engagement and reduced incidents after restricting devices; the board said a formal policy will be developed in the spring using MSBA model language.
Superintendent Lewis told the Fridley Public School District board that the district will develop a formal cell-phone policy in the spring and is using Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) model language as a starting point.
Principals from Stevenson Elementary, the middle school and Fridley High School described current building-level procedures and early results. Veronica Matheson, Stevenson principal, said elementary schools still allow phones at dismissal but keep devices “away” during the school day and have seen minimal disruption: “We do allow it at dismissal because we have to allow our kids to communicate… Minimal issues. I think I've had one thing this year so far with cell phones.”
Amy Cochran, the middle school principal, described a new “away for the day” practice this school year: devices must be stored in lockers and out of sight from arrival until dismissal, with exceptions for medical needs or individualized parent agreements. Cochran described graduated consequences: a first warning, a second-time collection by the dean returned at day’s end, then parent pickup and later individualized plans. Cochran said teachers and families reported quick uptake and increased peer interaction: “The student-to-student communication has quadrupled this year.”
Kelly McConnell, high school principal, said the high school follows a “no electronic devices bell to bell” approach but noted inconsistency between classrooms and the need for additional staff training: “What is our expectations around that? … We have seen much more engagement, but it's a work in progress definitely at the high school.”
Principals and the superintendent told the board they rely on consistent family communication, signed user agreements at open house, and model-policy language from MSBA. The board discussed scope language—whether to cover “personal technology devices” beyond phones, including smartwatches, tablets and headphones—and said they want student voice included during policy writing. Superintendent Lewis said the district expects the MSBA model policy to be available at its January conference and that the board would take up formal policy work in March.
No formal policy vote took place at the meeting; principals and staff were invited to provide feedback to inform the spring policy drafting process.
