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Urbana High School rolls out stricter cell‑phone guidelines to boost classroom engagement
Summary
Principal Guzman and Assistant Principal Hines described a new UHS policy requiring phones to be silenced and stored during class, permitted during passing periods and lunch, with teacher discretion for instructional/medical use. The policy includes a leveled discipline system; administrators reported only three referrals so far.
Urbana High School administrators presented a new classroom cell‑phone policy to the board, saying the change was driven by staff concerns about student engagement. Principal Guzman told the board that teacher teams raised the issue and that administrators reviewed policies from neighboring districts before adapting a model for Urbana High School.
"It just comes down to the lack of student engagement in the classroom," Principal Guzman said, explaining the rationale for a stricter policy. Assistant Principal Miss Hines read the policy language: "It is the expectation that students will not use electronic devices in the classroom, cell phones, earbuds, etc. Students are expected to power down or silence their phones and place them away for the period in their pockets, book bags." The policy allows teachers to provide designated secure storage and gives faculty discretion to use devices for instructional or medical reasons.
Administrators described a leveled response to violations: a teacher warning, then a teacher‑initiated phone call home on a second offense, and a written referral to the dean on the third offense; repeated misconduct can lead to additional restrictions or loss of phone privileges in the building. The administrators emphasized opportunities for students to 'reset' and for teachers to use relational strategies before escalating consequences. "We wanted to make sure that students had a chance to reset," Miss Hines said.
Guzman and Hines reported early results to the board: staff have noticed fewer phones in classrooms, more consistent daily expectations and only three referrals district staffwide that reached the dean level to date. Board members asked how referrals and parent responses will be tracked; administrators said deans and principals will log incidents and that they were receiving mostly supportive feedback from families. The board did not vote on the policy at this session; administrators said enforcement will continue and they will return with data and any recommended adjustments.
