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Board’s ad hoc committee will survey students on cell-phone and social-media use
Summary
An ad hoc committee reported plans to survey grades 4–12 about cell-phone and social-media use, to involve students in instrument review and to develop parent-facing resources; the board will use results to consider policy adjustments and instructional supports.
The board’s ad hoc committee on cell-phone and social-media use reported plans to survey students across grades 4–12 to inform possible policy and instructional responses.
A committee co-chair (referred to in the discussion as Mr. Austin) described a timeline: a student survey will go to high school students on Friday, follow for middle school early next week, and then extend down to fourth grade. Committee members plan to let students review the survey and to use Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data and student media to report results. The committee emphasized focusing on usage patterns (apps, time spent) and coupling survey results with parent information and an online hub of resources.
Why it matters: board members said the primary concerns about social media effects were coming from outside school hours (evenings and weekends) rather than during class time, and that policy changes should be informed by student experience and data, not anecdote. The committee indicated that implementation will prioritize student voice and data-driven discussion at the policy committee level.
Next steps: finalize and deploy the student survey, analyze results with student helpers and staff, and return to the board with findings that could inform parent materials and any recommended policy changes.
