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School board opens strategic discussion on device limits and a possible bell‑to‑bell phone ban
Summary
District staff presented research on screen time and device use; board members debated a bell‑to‑bell phone restriction, digital literacy trade-offs, and possible next steps including auditing tools and partnering with parents and the district foundation.
David, the staff presenter on district technology and student screen time, told the board that most U.S. schools (about 88%) have one-to-one devices and summarized national research linking recreational screen time with poorer outcomes: "2 hours plus, they saw lower scores on language and... and then 7 hours plus, daily, they saw measurable, decline in, like, brain activity and critical thinking," he said, citing NIH and JAMA findings.
David recommended district options including auditing device use with tools such as Securly and Google Workspace, continuing "bell-to-bell" phone restrictions during instruction, establishing "protect sleep" windows, partnering with the district foundation and parents on home use education, and training counselors to identify problematic screen behaviors.
A board member urged a stricter bell-to-bell approach like South Milwaukee’s practice where phones are bagged at the start of the day and returned only at dismissal: "in a true bell to bell, the phones are put in a bag at the beginning of school, handed out after the last hour," the member said, arguing that prevents hallway or between-class phone use. Another board member pushed back on removing screens entirely, asking how the district will teach digital literacy: "what would you say to those who say that digital literacy is equally as important as literacy and math... to prepare them for a world beyond school?" the member asked.
Several board members agreed the device/policy conversation requires broader input. One said the district should limit in-school screen use to tasks that pen-and-paper cannot accomplish, noting exceptions for specialized classes such as coding or CAD. The board agreed to bring the topic to a full-board strategic discussion for further deliberation before any policy change.
No formal policy was adopted at this meeting; district staff were asked to continue stakeholder conversations and to provide supporting materials and usage-audit data for future deliberations.
