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[Coronado Unified School District Parent Forum on February 3, 2026.]
FEELS ODD TO BE ON A MICROPHONE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE LIVE STREAMED, I'M GOING TO. LATER, IF WE GET TO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PASS THE MICROPHONE AROUND SO THE PEOPLE AT HOME CAN HEAR US. FIRST AND FOREMOST, WELCOME AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.THIS IS A COMMUNITY FORUM TO DISCUSS. CELL PHONE USAGE OR SMART DEVICE USAGE IN CUSD. I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE TWO AND LATER THIS AFTERNOON, ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS MAY BE ATTENDING. THEY ARE ATTENDING AS OBSERVERS. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT POTENTIAL ACTION THAT THEY MAY OR MAY NOT TAKE. HOWEVER, I WILL SHARE WHAT MY OBJECTIVE IS AS FAR AS TIMELINES. AND WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION I WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD TO THE GOVERNING BOARD. AND AS EVERYONE IN THE ROOM IS AWARE, THOSE ARE PUBLIC MEETINGS.
THE GOVERNING BOARD MEETS IN THE PUBLIC, FOR THE PUBLIC, TO REVIEW AND PARTICIPATE IN THEIR MEETINGS. SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DATES GET OUT IF YOU WANT TO HEAR.
ONGOING DIALOGUE AMONG THE FIVE TRUSTEES. WE'RE GOING TO TEAR RIGHT INTO OUR AGENDA. SORRY, WE'RE GOING TO GET RIGHT INTO OUR AGENDA AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS EVENING IS AND WHAT THIS EVENING ISN'T.
OKAY, WE'RE NOT TAKING ACTION TONIGHT. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DETERMINE WHAT COURSE OF ACTION THAT THE BOARD MAY OR MAY NOT PURSUE. WE WANT TO BRING OUR COMMUNITY, OUR PARENTS, OUR STAFF MEMBERS UP TO SPEED OR UP TO DATE WITH WHERE WE'RE AT. AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE, THE GOVERNING BOARD HAS ENGAGED IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CELL PHONE USE AND EXISTING PRACTICES ON OUR FOUR CAMPUSES FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. WE HAVE ATTEMPTED SOME INITIATIVES TO CURB CELL PHONE USE, BUT I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT THAT THE GOVERNING BOARD HAS AN APPETITE FOR TAKING AN ADDITIONAL STEP, A FURTHER STEP IN STRENGTHENING OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT USE OF SMART DEVICES WHILE IN OUR CARE. OKAY, SO LET'S GET STARTED. A TIMELINE. HERE'S THE AGENDA. OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THIS EVENING PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW, TIMELINE, SAFETY OVERVIEW, LOGISTICS OVERVIEW, STUDENT WELLNESS RESEARCH. WE DO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM YONDER. MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF YONDER. THEY ARE A COMPANY THAT ASSISTS NOT ONLY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUT LARGE BUSINESSES, FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES, ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, SOME OF YOU, AS YOU WALKED IN, MAY HAVE NOTICED THESE. SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE ATTENDED A COMEDY SHOW OR A CONCERT WHERE THEY ACTUALLY HAND YOU ONE OF THESE. WHEN YOU ARRIVE, AND YOU LOCK YOUR DEVICE IN AND THEN UNLOCK IT AT THE END. SO WE ARE GOING TO THROW IT TO YONDER FOR A PORTION OF THIS PRESENTATION AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GET TO QUESTIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED. WE DID CLUSTER THOSE QUESTIONS INTO THEMES.
WE BELIEVE A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED DURING OUR PRESENTATION AND AT THE END, IF THERE'S TIME, WE CAN PASS THE MICROPHONE AROUND.
WE HAVE A GOOD TURNOUT HERE, BUT WE WE FEEL THIS IS AN INTIMATE ENOUGH GROUP TO ACTUALLY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. I WILL STATE RIGHT NOW THAT THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO YET. WE DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE DIRECTION, SPECIFIC DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD. SO, ONE QUESTION AS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. WHAT WOULD A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD BE WITH A YONDER POUCH AT VILLAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? WELL, WE DON'T KNOW. WE WOULD THEN START TO BUILD, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO TAKE, WE WOULD START TO BUILD THOSE PROTOCOLS AND THOSE SYSTEMS. AND THEN PUSH THAT INFORMATION OUT TO OUR PARENT COMMUNITY AND TO OUR STUDENTS PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL NEXT YEAR. OKAY, BACKGROUND AND TIMELINE. IN 2024, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ADOPTED AB 3216 AND IT REQUIRES ALL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE TO ADOPT A POLICY BEFORE JULY 1ST OF THIS YEAR THAT LIMITS, RESTRICTS, OR PROHIBITS THE USE OF SMART DEVICES ON CAMPUSES.
WE HAVE A MEMBER OF THE CORONADO OPTIMIST CLUB HERE.
MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW THAT THE OPTIMIST CLUB OF CORONADO PURCHASED POCKETS FOR CELL PHONES.
FOR OUR CLASSROOMS. SO THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE OPTIMIST CLUB FOR THAT.
BY THE LETTER OF THIS BILL, WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE, RIGHT? THE GOAL OF THE BILL, THE
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OBJECTIVE, WAS TO LIMIT OR RESTRICT USE DURING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME. IF WE ARE IN FULL COMPLIANCE AND WE ARE HOLDING STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE TO USE OF THOSE POCKETS, THAN WE'VE ALREADY ADDRESSED WHAT WAS OUTLINED IN AB 3216.THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, IN 24-25, THE GOVERNING BOARD BEGAN DISCUSSIONS ON THE IMPACT OF CELL PHONE USE ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES. FALL OF 25, THE BOARD DIRECTED STAFF TO PREPARE AN IMPACT REPORT, INCLUDING PUBLISHED RESEARCH AND DATA AND ANALYSIS OF OUR CURRENT POLICY. HOW IS THIS WORKING ON OUR CAMPUSES? IN FALL OF 2025, WE BEGAN SOLICITING STUDENT VOICE.
OKAY, WE HAVE MECHANISMS IN PLACE AT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND AT OUR HIGH SCHOOL FOR STUDENT VOICE. THERE ARE PRINCIPALS, ADVISORY COMMITTEES, THERE'S A SUPERINTENDENT, STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS FELT THAT THEY HAD SOME AGENCY AND SOME PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONVERSATION. AS THE ONES WHO FREQUENT OUR CAMPUSES AND WILL BE MOST IMPACTED BY IT. AND THE GOVERNING BOARD, AT OUR FEBRUARY AND AT OUR MARCH MEETING WILL HAVE AGENDIZED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CHANGES TO OUR EXISTING PRACTICES.
THAT'S IMPORTANT TO LIST, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE COMMUNITY THAT WANTS TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE GOVERNING BOARD AS THEY'RE ENGAGED IN THIS CONVERSATION WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, THROUGH THE USE OF PUBLIC COMMENT, TO COME UP AND VOICE THEIR OPINIONS OR PROVIDE THEIR PERSPECTIVES.
OUR GOAL HAS BEEN, AT THE DIRECTION OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, IS TO HAVE A DECISION MADE FOR THE START OF NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. OKAY, SO HERE WE ARE, IT'S FEBRUARY, THINGS, IT FEELS LIKE A LONG WAY OFF, EARLY AUGUST OF NEXT YEAR. THINGS HAPPEN QUICKLY IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AS FAR AS TIME PASSING. AND, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE KNOW. IT WILL BE SPRING BREAK AND THEN THE END OF SEASON AND GRADUATION PROMOTION CEREMONIES. A DECISION WILL BE MADE DURING THIS TERM, DURING THIS SEMESTER, FOR IMPLEMENTATION NEXT YEAR, WHEN THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS.
OKAY, THIS IS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO READ. WE WILL PUT THIS PRESENTATION ON OUR WEBSITE.
BUT REALLY, WE WANTED TO CITE RESEARCH AND SOME BEST PRACTICES. SO YOU'LL SEE, UP HERE, THERE'S A QUOTE ABOUT SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
FROM JOHN HOPKINS, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE HERE, ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS. CELL PHONE BANS MAY NOT BE A SILVER BULLET FOR EVERY CHALLENGE, BUT THEY CAN YIELD MEASURABLE BENEFITS IN SPECIFIC AREAS.
ACADEMIC IMPACT, IMPROVED TEST SCORES, REDUCED DISTRACTION, INCREASED INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, FEWER ABSENCES. SOCIAL IMPACT, A DECREASE IN BULLYING, MORE FACE-TO-FACE OR PEER-TO-PEER INTERACTIONS, AND LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD.
OFTENTIMES, WHEN I'M ON OUR CAMPUSES, IT ISN'T UNCOMMON FOR ME TO SEE A STUDENT WITH A CELL PHONE AT CMS. AND THREE OR FOUR OF THEIR CLASSMATES OR THEIR PEERS LOOKING AT WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT.
THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE HAVE OR THE HAVE-NOTS.
THERE ARE STUDENTS WHO HAVE ACCESS, UNLIMITED ACCESS, AND A LOT OF THAT COMES FROM FAMILY. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO NOT PURCHASE THEIR CHILD A SMARTPHONE UNTIL A CERTAIN AGE. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE FAMILIES WHO HAVE PURCHASED DEVICES FOR THEIR CHILD BUT HAVE VERY TIGHT RESTRICTIONS ON THOSE DEVICES, AND THEN FAMILIES WHO ALLOW THEIR CHILD UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THOSE DEVICES. SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT NAVIGATING SOME OF THAT DOES CAUSE SOME PEER-TO-PEER TENSION OR FEELINGS OF BEING LEFT OUT.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT, REDUCTION IN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND THE FEAR OF MISSING OUT, RIGHT? WHAT AM I MISSING OUT ON? I'M NOT PART OF THIS STREAK. I'M NOT PART OF THIS CHAT GROUP, WHATEVER IT MAY BE. THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLICATIONS AS A RESULT OF SMART DEVICES. I KNOW MY STUDENTS ARE GETTING A CHALLENGE. I SEE MY TWO STUDENTS. I WILL BUTCHER ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH HIP, LINGO. SO FORGIVE ME IN ADVANCE. I'LL PROBABLY SAY, FIRE. LATER, WHICH I UNDERSTAND, IS PROBABLY 10 YEARS OLD. AND THEN CAVEATS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND RECENT RESEARCH. AND AS YOU SAW IN THE FLYER. AND WHEN THIS IS POSTED ONLINE, THERE IS A QR CODE THAT CITES ALL OF THE RESEARCH AND ALL OF THE EVIDENCE WHERE THIS INFORMATION WAS CALLED. SAFETY EXPERTS. A
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LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT CAME IN FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS. HAD TO DO WITH WHAT ABOUT IT IN AN EMERGENCY? I NEED TO BE ABLE TO REACH MY CHILD.OUR STUDENTS IN OUR STUDENT FORUMS HAVE SAID I WANT TO KNOW THAT MY YOUNGER SIBLING IS SAFE. I WANT TO LET MY MOM AND KNOW MY MOM AND DAD OR MY PARENTS KNOW THAT I AM SAFE.
SO WE PULLED FROM SOME SAFETY EXPERTS. WHAT IS THE OFFICIAL POSITION OR STATEMENT ON PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN SCHOOLS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS? THEY EXPLICITLY ADVOCATE FOR BELL-TO-BELL BANS. THEY CITE THREE PRIMARY REASONS.
SOUND AND LIGHT REVEALING HIDING SPOTS, NETWORK JAMMING, WHICH COULD PREVENT OR LIMIT POLICE COMMUNICATION, AND THEN INACCURATE STUDENT-LED INFORMATION CAUSING PARENT FLOCKING. WE'VE EXPERIENCED THIS IN OUR DISTRICT ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY SERVICES, CELL PHONES AND SCHOOL SAFETY POLICY AND PRACTICE, FINDINGS CONFIRM THAT STUDENT CELL PHONE USE DURING AN EMERGENCY SIGNIFICANTLY HINDERS THE SCHOOL'S ABILITY TO MAINTAIN AN ACCURATE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND REUNIFICATION PROCESS. AND THE SAFE HAVENS INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AUDIT. DATA SHOWS THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE OFF PHONE DURING DRILLS ARE 40% MORE LIKELY TO FOLLOW TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS CORRECTLY.
ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THEIR TEACHER, TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, ADMINISTRATORS, CLASSIFIED STAFF, PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYMENT.
EMPLOYEES IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA HAVE A DUTY OF CARE. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE IN LOCO PARENTIS FOR YOUR CHILDREN WHILE THEY'RE AT SCHOOL. THEY ARE TRAINED ON HOW TO HANDLE EMERGENCIES.
WE NEED TO KNOW THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE DIRECTIVES GIVEN BY OUR STAFF. SAFETY CONCERNS DURING AN EMERGENCY, RELIABLE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS, AGAIN, GETTING BACK TO THAT SOURCE OF TRUTH IN AN EMERGENCY THAT SHOULD BE COMING FROM THE DISTRICT. AND PARENTS NEED TO TRUST AND UNDERSTAND THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AS QUICKLY AS YOUR CHILD TEXTING YOU SOMETHING, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE TIMELY AND IT'S GOING TO BE ACCURATE INFORMATION.
THE PRIORITY IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE ADDRESS THE ISSUE ON CAMPUS, SEND A COMMUNICATION OUT.
YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS FROM OUR FRIENDS AT YONDER.
AND IN THE EVENT OF AN EVACUATION OR A MOVE TO A REUNIFICATION SITE, TEACHERS WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO THEN FREE AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO DEVICES FOR THEIR CHILDREN, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE. WHY THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS IN A CRISIS.
IN A RUN-HIDE-FIGHT SCENARIO, A VIBRATING PHONE OR GLOWING SCREEN CAN REVEAL A STUDENT'S HIDING SPOT. NETWORK CONGESTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL BLINDNESS.
STUDENTS TEXTING PARENTS, AGAIN, ARE NOT FOCUSED ON THE DIRECTIVES PROVIDED BY STAFF. SO DATA, SOME OF THESE POINTS WERE VERY INTERESTING TO ME. AND AGAIN, IF YOU WANT TO ACCESS THIS NOW, THERE'S THE QR CODE FOR WHERE THIS INFORMATION WAS SOURCED.
BANNING CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS REDUCES ABSENCES AND BOOSTS TEST SCORES OVER TIME. I PAUSED WHEN I SAW... REDUCES ABSENCES, AND SO DID OUR STUDENTS IN THE ADVISORY COUNCIL. AND ANECDOTALLY. THAT'S BECAUSE STUDENTS STILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR FRIENDS IF THEY'RE AT HOME, IF THEIR FRIENDS HAVE DEVICES WHILE THEY'RE AT SCHOOL. SO IF A CHILD SAYS TO PARENTS THAT THEY'RE FEELING ILL AND THEY GET TO STAY HOME, THEY CAN STILL BE IN THE KNOW, BE IN THE CIRCLE AND COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR FRIENDS.
DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS INCREASED IN THE FIRST YEAR.
SUSPENSIONS ROSE BY 12%. NOW, THIS IS ONE OF THE DATA POINTS THAT I FOUND FASCINATING. YOU WOULD ASSUME THAT IT WOULD BE THE OPPOSITE. WE FOUND THAT THIS WAS SOURCED FROM A STATE WHERE THEY HAD A VERY PUNITIVE, PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE POLICY AS IT RELATED TO CELL PHONE USE. AND I BELIEVE THE SECOND OFFENSE WAS A SUSPENSION. SO A LOT OF STUDENTS WERE SUSPENDED THE FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION BECAUSE STUDENTS WERE PUSHING THEIR BOUNDARIES RELATED TO A NEW POLICY. MALE STUDENTS HAD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS.
FEMALE, NO INCREASE. NO COMMENTARY THERE.
BY THE SECOND YEAR, INCREASE IN DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS DISAPPEARED. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IMPROVED MODESTLY IN THE FIRST YEAR AND MORE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE SECOND YEAR. THE BAN REDUCED UNEXCUSED ABSENCES IN BOTH FIRST AND SECOND YEARS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. AND NO REAL IMPACT FROM CELL PHONE BAN OR DISCIPLINARY INCIDENTS, ATTENDANCE, OR TEST SCORES IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WE UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENTAL MATURITY OF OUR STUDENTS,
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AND ALSO PARENTS' WILLINGNESS TO PURCHASE OR PROVIDE SMART DEVICES. PROBABLY WEIGHS INTO THIS EQUATION HERE.HOWEVER, MANY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE SENT TO US OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS INDICATE THAT WE CAN'T NEGLECT FOCUSING ON WHAT'S HAPPENING AT OUR ELEMENTARY SITES AS IT RELATES TO SMART DEVICES AS WELL. SO, THE DISCIPLINE ACTION GUIDE.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR DAG, THIS IS ALSO POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE. UNDER OUR STUDENT SERVICES WEBPAGE, IT LISTS ALL POTENTIAL INFRACTIONS, THE RELEVANT OR CORRESPONDING CALIFORNIA EDUCATIONAL CODE FOR A SPECIFIC INFRACTION, AND THEN THE DIFFERENT LEVELS.
NOW, ADMINISTRATORS HAVE A DEGREE OF AUTONOMY AND DISCRETION AS IT RELATES TO A LEVEL ONE, A LEVEL TWO, A LEVEL THREE OFFENSE.
BUT THESE CHARTS IN OUR DISCIPLINE ACTION GUIDE ARE RELATIVELY PRESCRIPTIVE, RIGHT? THEY GIVE OUR ADMINISTRATORS A BLUEPRINT OF THIS IS THE OFFENSE. THESE ARE THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES IN A PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE MODEL THAT MAY BE DISPENSED AS A RESULT OF THOSE CONSEQUENCES, OR OF THOSE BEHAVIORS OR ACTIONS.
THIS MAY BE SOMETHING, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT GETTING IN FRONT OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, THIS MAY BE SOMETHING IF THERE IS A CHANGE TO OUR PRACTICE AND OUR POLICIES THAT THE GOVERNING BOARD WOULD ALSO WANT TO UPDATE. WHAT WILL OUR APPROACH BE FOR STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE TO VIOLATE A NEW EXPECTATION OR A NEW POLICY? LOGISTICS. THESE CAME UP IN SOME OF THE QUESTIONS, EITHER SUBMITTED QUESTIONS ON OUR WEBSITE OR FROM STUDENTS OR PARENTS IN CONVERSATION. ALSO, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY. I WANT TO THANK THE PARENTS WHO ARE HERE THIS EVENING. WE HAD A SMALL GROUP OF PARENTS WHO REALLY INITIATED A MEETING TO TALK ABOUT AS A RESULT OF A CONVERSATION THAT WAS HELD AT A PTO MEETING. AND SOME OF THE LOGISTICAL THINGS THAT THE GOVERNING BOARD. AND OUR STAFF WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER ARE LISTED HERE.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MORE. THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL HAS A FLEX SCHEDULE. IN A FOUR BY FOUR BELL SCHEDULE, WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT MAY PARTICIPATE IN ATHLETICS, MAY HAVE A JOB, MAY NOT GO TO SCHOOL. PERIOD ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR. SO THEY HAVE AN OFF ROLE. WE HAVE AN OPEN CAMPUS LUNCH. WE ALSO HAVE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES AT CHS THAT MEET TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK.
THROUGH THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
THOSE ARE LOGISTICAL THINGS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE A CRITICAL LOOK AT IF WE WERE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A POLICY THAT INVOLVED SECURING DEVICES.
PARENT-STUDENT COMMUNICATION DURING THE DAY. AGAIN, A LOT OF QUESTIONS CENTERED AROUND THIS, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ABSOLUTELY WOULD HAVE TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
UPDATE THE DISCIPLINE ACTION GUIDE. AND THEN WE HAD TWO OR THREE QUESTIONS ON WHAT DOES THE DAY IN THE LIFE LOOK LIKE. WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR MY CHILD AT CMS? WILL THEY HAVE THEIR PHONE UNTIL THEY ENTER THE THRESHOLD OF THE CAMPUS AND THEN THEY UNLOCK IT AND IT'S GONE? WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE DAY? THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE WILL BE HANDLED IN PART DURING THE NEXT PORTION OF OUR EVENING, BUT THOSE ARE SOME OF THE LOGISTICAL THINGS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THROUGH QUESTIONS. OKAY, BEFORE WE GET TO Q&A, I'M GOING TO ASK OUR TEAM FROM YONDER, ISAAC, COME ON UP. AND THIS IS A LOT OF US TALKING AT YOU. WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE DIALOGUE.
PERFECT. THANK YOU, CARL. I'LL WAIT ONE SECOND. I APPRECIATE EVERYONE TAKING THE TIME TODAY TO COME OUT. I'LL START WITH A QUICK INTRODUCTION. SO MY NAME IS ISAAC. I WORK WITH YONDER. I'M JOINED TODAY BY SEGUERO BOZART AND STEPHANIE WABI. SEGUERO IS OUR MANAGER OF THE WEST COAST. AND STEPHANIE IS THE SENIOR PARTNER SUCCESS MANAGER FOR THE WEST COAST AS WELL. WE'RE ALL HAPPY TO BE HERE. I PERSONALLY LIVE IN LA JOLLA, BUT FOR A LITTLE MORE BACKGROUND, AS MY PRESENTATION IS COMING UP, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH YONDER FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS NOW. I STARTED WORKING WITH YONDER WHILE ON THE WEST COAST, WHILE LIVING IN PORTLAND, GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE TO D.C. THAT WAS AT A TIME WHEN YONDER AND THIS PHONE-FREE MOVEMENT WAS GROWING RAPIDLY. ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THAT CORONADO HAS BEEN AHEAD OF THE TIMES WHEN IT COMES TO THE PHONE-FREE MOVEMENT, BUT A LOT OF THE COUNTRY WAS RECOGNIZING THAT THIS WAS A TIME THAT SOMETHING NEEDED TO BE DONE. WHILE LIVING IN D.C., I WORKED WITH SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA THAT I HAPPEN TO KNOW THERE'S A CONNECTION WITH. I WORKED WITH SCHOOLS FROM OHIO DOWN TO GEORGIA.
ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, I MOVED TO LA JOLLA, AND I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA EVER SINCE. I WAS VERY EXCITED THAT CARL
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INITIATED THE CONVERSATION. I'D BEEN REACHING OUT. WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT PHONE-FREE SPACES AND SCHOOLS WHEN THE QUESTION ARISES. SO THOSE ARE MY INTRODUCTIONS. I DO WANT TO INTRODUCE YONDER BEFORE I GET INTO THE MEAT OF IT, JUST SO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WHERE WE'VE COME FROM, AND KIND OF DEMYSTIFY WHAT YONDER IS AND CAN BE. SO BACKGROUND ON YONDER. YONDER HAS BEEN WORKING WITH SCHOOLS AND COMEDY SHOWS, CONCERTS, AND A VARIETY OF VENUES THAT HAVE LOOKED FOR...THE NEED TO BECOME PHONE FREE FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS NOW.
IN THE FIRST FIVE OR SIX YEARS, THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF MOVEMENT IN THE SPACE. AS PHONES WERE STILL BECOMING VERY POPULAR AND WERE A USEFUL TOOL OR CONSIDERED A USEFUL TOOL IN SCHOOLS AT THE TIME. IT KIND OF SOLVED THE ONE-TO-ONE POLICY QUESTION. COMING OUT OF QUARANTINE, SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY ON THE EAST COAST, WERE SEEING AN INCREASED ABUSE OF CELL PHONES AND STRONG HABITS BEING FORMED AROUND CELL PHONE USE. SO AT THAT TIME, YONDER BECAME MUCH MORE POPULAR. AS SCHOOLS REACHED OUT. LOOKING FOR CONSULTATION AND LOOKING FOR KIND OF A MORE ROBUST SOLUTION TO ASSIST WITH THEIR CELL PHONE POLICY.
IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE'VE SEEN YONDER USED A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND IT'S REALLY KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED HOW OUR PROGRAM LOOKS, HOW IT OPERATES, AND WHAT WE INCLUDE. TO ENSURE THAT DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS WHO PARTNER WITH US ARE AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE. AND WHAT WE PROVIDE CAN BE STICKY.
I'M GOING TO MOVE TO THE NEXT SCREEN. PERFECT.
SO THAT WAS MY INTRODUCTION OF YONDER. AS I MOVE FORWARD HERE, I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF, BUT I'M GOING TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT'S INCLUDED.
OR WHAT WE PROVIDE TO SCHOOLS WITHIN THE YONDER PROGRAM. I'M GOING TO LOOK AT BENEFITS THAT OUR SCHOOL PARTNERS HAVE SEEN, FROM MENTAL HEALTH TO TEST SCORES, AND THEN I'M GOING TO.
BRIEFLY, TOUCH ON SOME OF THEIR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS THAT WE GET WHEN PRESENTING TO SCHOOLS. I WILL SAY, LOOKING AT THE QUESTIONS TODAY, A LOT WERE VERY SIMILAR TO OTHER PARENT QUESTIONS THAT I'VE DEALT WITH OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. SO I'M GOING TO START WITH WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE YONDER PROGRAM. I'M GOING TO TRY TO PUT THIS MIC DOWN FOR ONE SECOND SO I CAN BE HANDS-FREE. ALL RIGHT, THERE WE GO. PERFECT. SO, THE YONDER PROGRAM... CONSISTS OF THREE MAIN ELEMENTS. THE FIRST IS A PHYSICAL ELEMENT.
AND WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN IF YOU'VE GOOGLED YONDER OR BEEN TO A CONCERT, COMEDY SHOW. AND THAT IS THE POUCH RIGHT HERE.
THIS IS A POUCH THAT STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO POSSESS. IT CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY A NUMBER OR A NAME CARD IN HERE. THE PHONE IS SLIPPED INSIDE THE POUCH AND IS LOCKED VERY QUICKLY BY PRESSING THE FLAPS TOGETHER AND THEN PUSHING THIS BUTTON. NOW THE POUCH IS LOCKED. OR CLOSED. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT A LITTLE MORE INTRODUCTION OR HANDS-ON FEEL OF WHAT THE POUCH LOOKS LIKE, HOW IT OPERATES, WE HAVE A FEW EXAMPLES OVER HERE. THE NEXT KIND OF CRITICAL ELEMENT, OR THE MAIN ELEMENT OF THE YONDER PROGRAM, PHYSICALLY SPEAKING, ARE THE UNLOCKING STATIONS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIALLY VERY STRONG MAGNETS. THIS ONE IS ONE OF THREE THAT WE USE, AND THIS IS USUALLY MOUNTED ON A TABLE OR WALL AT EXITS OF BUILDINGS. SO, AS STUDENTS ARE LEAVING A BUILDING, THEY CAN SELF-ADMINISTER THIS UNLOCKING PROCESS.
BY TAPPING THE POUCH, THE PHONE POPS OPEN, OR, EXCUSE ME, THE POUCH POPS OPEN, STUDENTS GET THEIR PHONE BACK, AND THEY CAN QUICKLY EXIT.
THERE'S A FEW OTHER PHYSICAL ELEMENTS THAT WE ADD, INCLUDING VELCRO POUCHES, WHICH ARE COMMONLY USED BY STUDENTS WITH MEDICAL NEEDS TO ACCESS THEIR PHONE. THE OTHER TWO ELEMENTS OF YONDER ARE LESS THOUGHT OF, BUT POSSIBLY MORE CRITICAL, INTO THE SUCCESS THAT SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS SEE. SO THE FIRST PART IS, IS THE PRE-PLANNING THAT WE GO THROUGH WITH DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS.
THIS LOOKS LIKE A VARIETY OF THINGS. IT STARTS WITH STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, LIKE COMMUNITY FORUMS. WE PROVIDE LETTERS THAT DISTRICTS CAN USE TO PRESENT THIS INFORMATION TO THEIR PARENTS, TO THEIR STAFF, AND TO THEIR STUDENTS. STEPHANIE WABI IS KIND OF THE SPEARHEAD OF THIS MOVEMENT, WORKING WITH BUILDING LEADERS, TALKING ABOUT LOGISTICS, PRE-IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING, DEALING WITH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, ETC. JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST PROVIDING A POUCH AND SAYING GOOD LUCK. WE'VE DONE THIS FOR 10 YEARS. LET'S HELP YOU INVENT THE WHEEL THAT WE'VE TRIED TO REINVENT A FEW TIMES HERE.
THE THIRD ELEMENT OF YONDER IS THE POST-IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT. THIS IS ONGOING SUCCESS. SO WE WANT TO KEEP CHECKING IN, MAKE SURE WE'RE TROUBLESHOOTING, HELPING WITH THE SMALL INSTANCES THAT MIGHT COME UP, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO DISTRICTS DOWN THE LINE. SO JUST KIND OF ONGOING, CONTINUAL SUPPORT, MID-YEAR CHECK-INS, END-OF-THE-YEAR REVIEWS. AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME OF THE DATA THAT I'M PRESENTING IS COMING FROM OUR EXISTING PARTNERS.
WHAT BENEFITS ARE YOU SEEING? CAN WE CHANGE SOMETHING MOVING FORWARD? IS THIS HELPFUL FOR YOU? THIS NEXT SLIDE IS A VIDEO. IF IT DOESN'T WORK, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. YEAH, NO PROBLEM. THAT IS A 55-SECOND VIDEO DEMONSTRATING KIND OF THE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A STUDENT WHO USES YONDER.
BUT I CAN DO THAT KIND OF JUST HERE. I DID IT EARLIER.
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LIKE I DEMONSTRATED. THEY SIMPLY WALK INTO A BUILDING.THEY PUT THEIR PHONE IN THE POUCH AT A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED TIME. I CAN TALK ABOUT GENERAL BEST PRACTICES, BUT KIND OF, LIKE CARL ALLUDED TO, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO YOU IS GOING TO BE BESPOKE. WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH YOUR BUILDINGS TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT ANSWER. IT'S FLEXIBLE, YET ROBUST, AND KIND OF ANSWERS THE PROBLEMS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR OR HOPING TO SOLVE. SEE YOU. IT'S A VERY SIMPLE PROGRAM AND THAT'S PART OF THE BEAUTY OF IT. WE'RE REALLY NOT TRYING TO ADD A LOT OF INFORMATION TO STAFF OR TO STUDENTS. WE JUST WANT TO PROVIDE KIND OF AN ADDITIONAL BARRIER TO THE CELL PHONES THAT ALLOW YOUR CELL PHONE POLICY TO BE SUCCESSFUL. ALL RIGHT.
NOW, I THINK THIS IS KIND OF THE CRITICAL PART. WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE? DOES IT WORK? YES. LUCKILY, OUR RESULTS HAVE SPOKE FOR THEMSELVES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. THE BIGGEST CHANGE WE'VE SEEN IN SCHOOLS COMES AFTER THE FIRST 20 DAYS. WHEN WE REVISIT A SCHOOL, WALK BACK IN, AND THE ENERGY IS DIFFERENT.
AS WE FIRST CAME INTO A SCHOOL AND TALKED TO THE STUDENTS, THERE'S NOT AS MUCH EYE CONTACT, THERE'S FEWER QUESTIONS, THERE'S LESS ENGAGEMENT.
THERE'S THIS ABILITY TO KIND OF PUT THEIR HEADS DOWN AND KIND OF STEP OUTSIDE WHAT'S AROUND THEM. AFTER THOSE 20 DAYS OR A MONTH, YOU COULD SAY THE TIME IT TAKES TO CHANGE OR BREAK A HABIT, WE SEE VERY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN STUDENT PARTICIPATION, EYE CONTACT, CRITICAL QUESTION, ENGAGEMENT. SELF-REPORTED, STUDENTS FEELING BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES.
ANECDOTALLY, WE HEAR MANY SCHOOLS REPORT THAT STUDENTS ARE BUYING MORE FOOD AT LUNCH, COMING FROM AN INTERESTING REASON THAT THEY WERE NERVOUS BEFOREHAND, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE FILMED OR HAVE FUNNY VIDEOS TAKEN OF THEM. SO THERE'S A LOT LESS FEAR IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES. WE HEAR MORE LIBRARY BOOKS ARE CHECKED OUT. WE DO HEAR HALLWAYS GET LOUDER, BUT IT'S THE BENEFIT OF STUDENTS CHATTING WITH EACH OTHER. ALSO, KIND OF THE NUMBERS I PUT UP BEHIND MYSELF. TEACHERS, AND THESE ARE ALL FROM SCHOOLS THAT WE PARTNER WITH AND A THIRD PARTY DOING RESEARCH. SO MORE ENGAGEMENT, LIKE I MENTIONED, POSITIVE CHANGES IN STUDENT BEHAVIOR, INCREASES IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ONE IS VERY INTERESTING. SO THIS WAS DATA, LIKE I SAID, PULLED FROM A THIRD PARTY. WHEN WE THINK OF CELL PHONES AND ISSUES THAT KIND OF REQUIRE SELF-MOTIVATION OR STUDENTS TAKING... RESPONSIBILITY ON THEMSELVES, WE ASSUME THAT OLDER STUDENTS ARE GOING TO HAVE A HIGHER LEVEL TO KIND OF MANAGE THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR DAY-TO-DAY. I DO WANT TO SAY I'VE, YOU KNOW, BECOME VERY ENGAGED IN CORE AND AUDIO UNIFIED, AND YOUR, YOU KNOW, SENIORS AND OLDER STUDENTS MIGHT IN FACT BE THAT. THIS IS SIMPLY DATA PULLED FROM KIND OF A GENERAL CROSS-SECTION, BUT THE BIG TAKEAWAY HERE IS THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE THE HIGHEST BENEFIT IN PASSING GRADES OR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ARE THE OLDER STUDENTS. THEY WERE THE ONES MOST AFFECTED BY YOU CELL PHONE POLICIES THAT WERE HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND HARD FOR THEM TO MANAGE. SO THAT'S KIND OF A BIG TAKEAWAY AND A BIG KIND OF SHIFT. THAT THE OLDER STUDENTS ARE BENEFITED FAIRLY SIGNIFICANTLY BY MORE ROBUST CELL PHONE POLICIES. ALSO, JUST LOOKING AT STUDENT BEHAVIOR.
SO CARL PULLED SOME DATA. THIS IS DATA THAT WE'VE JUST SEEN, REPORTED TO US FROM OUR PARTNERS. WE'RE SEEING LESS... CONFLICT AROUND CELL PHONES. AND THAT'S KIND OF THE BIGGEST CHANGE WE SEE.
WITH POLICIES THAT DON'T NECESSARILY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT PASSING PERIODS OR LUNCH, THERE IS SOME GRAY AREA IN WHAT OFF AND AWAY MEANS IN THOSE TIMES. AND THOSE CAN LEAD TO MORE CONFLICT.
TEACHERS BEING THE PHONE POLICE IN THOSE INSTANCES, PERHAPS STUDENTS PUSHING BACK, YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE MY PHONE, ET CETERA.
YONDER KIND OF TAKES THAT PRESSURE OFF TEACHERS. ALL CELL PHONES ARE IN THE POUCHES FROM WHEN STUDENTS WALK INTO THE BUILDING TO WHEN THEY LEAVE. PRACTICE.
AND THAT JUST TAKES AWAY THE CHANCE FOR THOSE CONFLICTS TO OCCUR. WE'RE ALSO SEEING DATA. AND ONE THING I WANT TO REFERENCE RIGHT NOW IS ANGELA DUCKWORTH, AUTHOR OF GRIT, IS DOING A STUDY CALLED PHONES IN FOCUS RIGHT NOW. IT POLLED 20,000 EDUCATORS. THE POINT IS TO KIND OF FIND OUT WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE CELL PHONE POLICY, AS TOLD TO US BY THE TEACHERS. AND THE FIRST FINDING WAS, INTERESTINGLY, THAT STRICTER CELL PHONE POLICIES ARE BETTER REPORTED BY TEACHERS. THEY INCREASE TEACHER ATTENTION AS THEY FIND THOSE POLICIES MOST SUPPORTIVE OF TEACHING TIME IN THE CLASSROOM. IT PUTS LESS PRESSURE ON THE TEACHERS TO CREATE POLICIES, SUSTAIN POLICIES, AND IT ALSO TAKES AWAY, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO SELF-REGULATE YOUR CLASSROOM WHEN THE TEACHER BEFORE YOU DOESN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE POLICY OR DOESN'T ENFORCE IT AS STRONGLY. SO IT JUST MAKES A LOT EASIER ALL AROUND WHEN STRICTER CELL PHONE POLICIES ARE IN PLAY. TO QUICKLY. SO THESE ARE FAQS. AND NOW THESE ARE FAQS THAT I ACTUALLY HAD BEFORE I READ THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU SUBMITTED, OR BEFORE CARL SHOWED THE QUESTIONS. SO I
[00:30:01]
WILL SAY THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE VERY RELATED TO KIND OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT? THE FIRST ONE, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY? I THINK CARL DID THE GREAT, BEST JOB ANSWERING THAT QUESTION. I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH ON IT TOO MUCH. ESSENTIALLY, WE'VE JUST ASKED EXPERTS, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CELL PHONES? AS CARL SAID, YOU KNOW, CELL PHONE POLICY OR EMERGENCY PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE FOR A REASON.AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THROUGH ON THOSE... GOING TO BE IN A GOOD SPOT. I THINK THE ONE ADDITION CARL WANTED ME TO TALK ABOUT WAS, YOU KNOW, IN CLASSROOMS, WE CAN PROVIDE UNLOCKING STATIONS SO TEACHERS CAN UNLOCK PHONES ONCE STUDENTS ARE IN A SAFE LOCATION AND REMAINING QUIET. IF STUDENTS EXIT A BUILDING, UNLOCKING STATIONS CAN BE IN GO BAGS. THAT ONCE AGAIN, ONCE STUDENTS ARE IN A SAFE LOCATION, OUT OF DANGER, HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION, THEY CAN UNLOCK THEIR CELL PHONES OR UNLOCK THEIR POUCHES AND GET THEIR CELL PHONES BACK THEN.
SMARTWATCHES AND HEADPHONES, VERY SIMPLE ANSWER HERE. THIS POUCH, ALL THESE POUCHES YOU'RE GOING TO SEE DO NOT HAVE A SIZE ON THEM. THEY'RE ALL XL. SO WE USED TO HAVE TWO SIZES OF POUCH, LARGE AND EXTRA LARGE. WE RECOGNIZE THAT, HEY, LET'S JUST MAKE ALL THE POUCHES THE SAME SIZE OR EXTRA LARGE. THAT MEANS THEY CAN ACCOMMODATE LARGE CELL PHONES, ALL WEARABLE TECH, SO SMARTWATCHES, AIRPODS, SOMETIMES TWO PHONES. IT ALL CAN FIT IN THE POUCH AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
DISMISSAL AND ARRIVAL. SO WE'VE MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT OTHER THAN SCHOOLS, WE WORK WITH CONCERTS AND COMEDY SHOWS.
REALLY BIG CONCERTS, UP TO 40,000 PEOPLE. THAT MEANS WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD HANDLE ON LOGISTICS. HOW DO WE GET 40,000 PEOPLE OUT THE DOOR AT ONE TIME? THE STYLE OF UNLOCKING PIN WE HAVE IS THE FASTEST UNLOCKING PROCESS YOU CAN EVER HAVE, AND THAT MEANS IT CAN BE OPENED IN LESS THAN A SECOND. ONCE AGAIN, ANECDOTALLY, WE SOMETIMES SEE DISMISSAL GO FASTER BECAUSE STUDENTS ARE SO MOTIVATED TO GET THEIR PHONES BACK. AND WHAT IF STUDENTS AREN'T FOLLOWING THE POLICY? YOU KNOW, WHAT IS YONDER? WHAT'S NOT YONDER? YONDER IS NOT A SILVER BULLET, AND I THINK THAT WAS ACTUALLY REFERENCED EARLIER, BUT IT'S A GREAT SUPPORT TOOL TO HELP WITH THE POLICY. SO, SCHOOLS ARE GOING TO HANDLE VIOLATIONS, AS THEY'RE GOING TO HANDLE ANY VIOLATION THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
THERE'S ALSO NEVER A PERFECT ANSWER, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME, AND IT'S WHY WE PUT SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON THAT PRE- AND POST-IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT THAT STEPHANIE HELPS WITH, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ANSWER YOU GET IS BESPOKE AND BEST FOR YOU. AND AFTER THAT, I CEDE MY TIME.
CARL, IS THIS A GOOD TIME FOR QUESTIONS? YEP. PERFECT.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND ONE? AS TO THE LOCKPATCH. ARE YOU TELLING ME THERE'S NO WAY MY BOYS CAN GET THAT POUCH OPEN? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND THAT WAS THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE WITH THAT FINAL, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION THERE. SO, YOU KNOW, NOTHING'S INVINCIBLE, AND YONDER'S NOT A SILVER BULLET THAT WE'RE SAYING IS INVINCIBLE. I WILL SAY IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO OPEN.
SO YOU CAN DESTROY THE POUCH, THAT WOULD OPEN IT.
BUT YOU CAN ALSO BREAK A DOOR, BREAK A WINDOW. SO I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYTHING, BUT THERE ARE POLICIES IN PLACE THAT SAY, HEY, WE HAVE THESE EXPECTATIONS.
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T FALL THROUGH ON THE EXPECTATIONS. THAT IS WHAT STEPHANIE HELPS WITH IN THAT PRE-IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING. SO WHEN YOU GAVE THE DATA, CAN YOU GO BACK TO STUDENT PERFORMANCE YEAR BEFORE AND YEAR AFTER? YEAH.
SORRY. IS THAT BASED OFF JUST LIKE THE PREVIOUS YEAR? DO WE KNOW WHAT THE POLICIES WERE FOR THOSE STUDENTS? WERE THEY JUST LIKE SITTING ON INSTAGRAM MID-CLASS? DID THEY HAVE...
BECAUSE WE HAVE POLICIES IN PLACE RIGHT NOW. IS THERE ANY SORT OF DETAILS ON LIKE... WERE THEY JUST FREE-FOR-ALLS BEFORE? WHAT CHANGED? THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. SO THE PREVIOUS YEAR WERE SCHOOLS WITH A CELL PHONE POLICY. SO I CAN KIND OF, IN SOME WAY, I CAN PROVIDE YOU THE DATA OR JUST NAME IT AT SOME POINT.
BUT ESSENTIALLY, THAT STUDY WAS LOOKING AT SCHOOLS WITH A CELL PHONE POLICY, AND THE NEXT YEAR WITH YONDER, IT'S YONDER AND A CELL PHONE POLICY. AND ONCE AGAIN, IT'S THOUSANDS OF SCHOOLS, SO I CAN'T NAME EXACTLY WHAT EVERY SCHOOL IS DOING, AND IT'S NOT ALSO GOING TO BE SPECIFIC TO THIS DISTRICT EITHER. IT'S SIMPLY KIND OF A GENERAL LOOK AT SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS WITH A POLICY,
[00:35:01]
WITH A CELL PHONE POLICY, VERSUS THE NEXT YEAR WHILE USING YONDER. I HOPE MY QUESTION DOESN'T SEEM TOO OFF TOPIC, BUT IT'S KIND OF A STICKING POINT IN OUR FAMILY. DO YOU HAVE ANY DATA ON WHAT HAPPENS TO OTHER ED TECH USE IN THE CLASSROOM ONCE YOU TAKE AWAY THE CELL PHONES? ARE KIDS MORE DISTRACTED ON CHROMEBOOKS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR OTHER THINGS THEY HAVE IN OTHER DEVICES? YEAH, I'LL TAKE THAT ONE. SO I'M GOING TO USE ANOTHER ANECDOTE. MY SHORT ANECDOTE IS, NO, THEY ARE NOT MORE DISTRACTED. AND THIS IS GOING TO COME FROM WORKING WITH AKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO THEY PILOTED YONDER THREE YEARS AGO IN FOUR OF THEIR BUILDINGS TO SEE WHAT KIND OF CHANGE HAPPENED ONCE STUDENTS STARTED USING YONDER. AND THEY STARTED THAT IN THOSE FOUR BUILDINGS AT SPRING BREAK. SO THEY ONLY HAD ABOUT THREE MONTHS LEFT.AFTER THOSE THREE MONTHS, THOSE FOUR BUILDINGS HAD GAINED SO MUCH TIME BACK IN CLASS THAT THEY HAD TO REWRITE THEIR POLICIES. AND THE DISTRICT KIND OF TOOK THAT AND SAYING, HEY, THERE'S PROBABLY MORE. A DEEPER PROBLEM HERE WITH HOW MUCH TIME HAS BEEN LOST IN THE BEGINNING OF CLASS, TRYING TO GET STUDENTS UNFOCUSED OR ON FOCUS. AND THEN AT THE END OF CLASS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT BLEED. FIVE, TEN MINUTES LEFT. YOU'RE RIGHT AT THE END OF THE LESSON PLAN. WHAT DO I DO? I'M GOING TO ALLOW SOME PHONE TIME BACK HERE. ONCE THOSE WERE TAKEN AWAY, THERE WAS NOT MORE DISTRACTION.
THERE WEREN'T MORE DISTRACTIONS OR INCREASED TECH USE. THERE WAS JUST MORE TIME GAINED BACK FOR TEACHING. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD TO THAT. THIS CONVERSATION THAT... THE GOVERNING BOARD HAS ENGAGED US WITH, HAS HAS FORCED US TO LOOK CRITICALLY AT SOME OTHER POLICIES AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL AND CURRICULUM AND CONTENT. THOSE CON THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING, BUT THERE IS A CONFLUENCE OF DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW AROUND WHEN WE DO HAVE STUDENTS ON THEIR LAPTOPS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE THE DISTRICT ISSUED CHROMEBOOK. IF THAT'S TIED TO THE CURRICULUM, WHICH TEACHERS ARE USING THE HAPARA SYSTEM, WHERE THE TEACHERS CAN ACTUALLY MONITOR TO ENSURE THAT THAT'S THE PAGE OR THE ACTIVITY THAT THE STUDENT IS ENGAGED WITH? AND THEN, AS ANOTHER LAYER OF THIS, THERE'S ALSO A CONVERSATION AROUND, IN PARTICULAR, ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. SOME OF OUR SECONDARY CLASSROOMS, SPECIFICALLY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, REALLY ARE TECH HEAVY. AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS WELL WITH MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WITH OUR BOARD. SO THIS IS FORCING US TO TAKE A CRITICAL LOOK AT ALL TECHNOLOGY USE, NOT JUST SMART DEVICES. THIS CONVERSATION IS ABOUT SMART DEVICES, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTION. HI. I'M ACTUALLY THE PRINCIPAL OF THE HIGH SCHOOL, SO I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE. SO, THANK YOU. I PAID HIM TO SAY THAT. QUESTION, LOGISTICAL QUESTION ABOUT THE YONDER POUCH. WHEN STUDENTS PUT THEIR PHONE IN, IF THEY DON'T TURN IT OFF AND THEY STILL HAVE AN AIRPOD IN THEIR EARS BECAUSE THEY CONSTANTLY HAVE THEM IN, IT'S LIKE A NEW APPENDAGE, RIGHT? AND THEY HIDE THEM.
DOES IT TURN THE PHONE OFF? SO, THIS PARTICULAR POUCH DOES NOT BLOCK SIGNAL, BUT WE DO OFFER A SIGNAL-BLOCKING POUCH.
BUT THERE'S A PRACTICAL REASON THAT SCHOOLS HAVE NOT ALWAYS CHOSEN THE SIGNAL-BLOCKING POUCH. YEAH, UNDERSTOOD.
YEAH. OKAY, THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. OKAY. GO. YEAH, A QUICK QUESTION. IS THIS FOR ALL CMS, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS WELL? AND ALSO, IS IT FOR RECESS? ARE WE COMPLETELY GOING TECH-FREE OR CELL PHONE-FREE DURING RECESS AS WELL? SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
AND THIS IS WHERE I'LL AGAIN MENTION, I CAN'T GET IN FRONT OF THE GOVERNING BOARD. THE GOVERNING BOARD WILL MAKE A DETERMINATION. MY OBJECTIVE IS TO PRESENT THE GOVERNING BOARD WITH A LIST OF OPTIONS TO CONSIDER, INCLUDING ALL SITES, ALL PERIODS OF TIME, A PILOT PROGRAM. WHERE WE LOOK AT ONE SCHOOL SITE, WE LOOK AT MULTIPLE SCHOOL SITES.
WE'RE GOING TO PRESENT THE BOARD WITH A LOT OF OPTIONS, KIND OF AN A LA CARTE MENU FOR THEM TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. AND WE HAVE MET, AND I'LL ASK YONDER TO RESPOND TO THIS AS WELL, DURING OUR PARENT DISCUSSION PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, WE LEARNED ABOUT A SCHOOL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I BELIEVE IT WAS FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, THAT STARTED WITH A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND THEN CONTINUED TO GROW THE PROGRAM AFTER LESSONS WERE LEARNED.
IN A SMALL DISTRICT LIKE OURS, THE GOVERNING BOARD WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS FULL IMPLEMENTATION.
SO ALL FOUR SCHOOLS, ALL OF THE TIME A PILOT SCHOOL OR NO CHANGE AT ALL. SO THE BOARD WILL BE PRESENTED WITH OPTIONS TO TO CONSIDER PRIOR TO US MOVING FORWARD WITH AN ACTION. OKAY, BECAUSE I THINK WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS IS THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. BECAUSE IF ONE SCHOOL DOESN'T DO IT, OR IF RECESS ALLOWS IT, THEN IT'S BASICALLY A HALF MEASURE.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT. AND WE HAVE ACTUALLY FOUND THAT WITH OUR EXISTING POLICY, WHERE IF NOT EVERY STAFF MEMBER IS ADHERING OR ENFORCING OUR EXISTING POLICY.
WITH FIDELITY, WE ENCOUNTER WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED. SO
[00:40:01]
WITH A ROLLOUT OF A PROGRAM LIKE THIS, WE REALLY HAVE OUR TWO ELEMENTARIES, OUR MIDDLE AND OUR HIGH SCHOOL.THE BOARD WILL TAKE A LOOK AT ALL FOUR SITES OR.
DEVELOPMENTALLY, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO ROLL OUT, STUDY, AND THEN EITHER INCREASE, EXPAND THE PROGRAM TO OUR OTHER SCHOOLS, OR LEAVE IT SPECIFIC TO? AGAIN, MY JOB IS TO PRESENT THE GOVERNING BOARD WITH OPTIONS, AND MY OBJECTIVE IS TO PRESENT THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES. TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW IN A PUBLIC SETTING AMONGST THEMSELVES.
OKAY, AND SO RECESS AS WELL, IS THAT ALSO TALKED ABOUT? SO MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS, IF WE ROLLED OUT IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS, IT WOULD BE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY WHEN STUDENTS ARE ON OUR CAMPUS. SO, YES, THAT WOULD BE INCLUSIVE OF PASSING PERIODS, NUTRITION, BREAK AND LUNCH AT THREE OF OUR FOUR SCHOOL SITES. AS YOU KNOW, THE HIGH SCHOOL HAS AN OPEN CAMPUS LUNCH POLICY.
WE DO HAVE A KIND OF A MODEL SCHOOL HERE IN SAN DIEGO THAT WE MAY BRING THE BOARD TO VISIT. AND THAT'S FRANCIS PARKER. THEY HAVE A POLICY WHERE WHILE THEY'RE ON CAMPUS, THE PHONES ARE IN THEIR POUCHES, BUT THE SENIORS WHO HAVE SENIOR PRIVILEGES TO GO OFF CAMPUS ARE ALLOWED TO UNLOCK THEIR DEVICE WHEN THEY GO OFF CAMPUS. SO A LOT OF VARIABLES FOR US TO CONSIDER. SO BASICALLY IT'S THE CONCEPT OF BELL TO BELL IS WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY IN DIFFERENT PLACES. SO THAT'S MY QUESTION ABOUT THIS RESEARCH. WAS THIS THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE POLICY? WAS IT A FLEXIBLE POLICY? WAS IT A BELL-TO-BELL POLICY? DO WE KNOW WHAT THAT POLICY WAS? AND THEN COMPARING THAT TO THE NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ARE WE GOING FROM ZERO TO 90 HERE? YEAH, THEY WERE OFF-AND-AWAY POLICIES.
OFF-AND-AWAY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THE PHONE IS OFF AND PUT AWAY FOR THE DAY.
FOR THE WHOLE DAY. FOR THE ARKANSAS TO BELL-TO-BELL.
OKAY. YOU KNOW, WHAT BELL-TO-BELL IS CAN BE CONFUSING WHEN IT'S THAT SIMPLE AGREEMENT BETWEEN STUDENT AND DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF I NEED TO CHECK THE TIME, ETC. SO IT WAS OFF AND AWAY VERSUS OFF AND AWAY AND YONDER. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE ONE COMMENT. I ASKED MY SEVENTH GRADER TODAY BEFORE I CAME HERE. SHE DOES NOT HAVE A PHONE WITH HER. SHE DOES NOT DO TEXTING. I'M TOTALLY ONE OF THOSE. I MEAN, I DO IT, BUT SHE DOES NOT DO IT. AND I ASKED HER, WHAT? DURING LUNCH OR BREAK OR WHATEVER. IS THERE PRESSURE TO LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE'S PHONES, YOU KNOW? AND SHE SAYS, NO.
AND I SAID, WELL, WHY? AND SHE SAID, WELL, BECAUSE I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO.
SO SHE KNOWS THAT, AND I'M HOPING THAT'S TRUE. I BELIEVE IT'S TRUE. BUT SO I THINK WHAT YOU WERE SAYING EARLIER, CARL, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE PRESSURE. SOME KIDS HAVE PHONES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO HAVE PHONES. SOME KIDS HAVE DON'T HAVE PHONES BECAUSE PARENTS DON'T WANT THEM TO, OR MAYBE IT'S AN ECONOMIC THING. BUT I THINK THAT THERE CAN BE SOME DISCUSSION FROM THE KIDS, TOO, ABOUT, OH, I HOPE THAT THEY'RE REALLY A PART OF THIS, TOO, SO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GETTING TO MAKE SOME OF THESE DECISIONS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, KIDS WHO REALLY WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND WANT TO BENEFIT FROM THIS. AND THANK YOU, JANE, FOR... FOR THE QUESTION AND COMMENTS. I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT, ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST SHARED, BUT I'LL STICK WITH A HANDFUL HERE. I DID HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH A GROUP OF STUDENTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE VERY OPEN AND HONEST WITH ME. AND SAID, I FEEL LIKE I'M BEING PUNISHED FOR SOMETHING THAT OTHER STUDENTS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF. I'VE ALSO HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATORS IN OUR DISTRICT AND AROUND THE COUNTY. THAT. FEEL A SENSE OF RESENTMENT AROUND THIS NOW IS A PUBLIC SCHOOL ISSUE WHEN WE DIDN'T BUY THESE DEVICES TO BEGIN WITH, RIGHT? WE DIDN'T CREATE THIS PROBLEM.
HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM HAS COME ONTO OUR CAMPUSES. AND NOW WE ARE BEHOLDEN TO CREATING A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT PRIORITIZES THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR STUDENTS.
SO WE NEED TO CREATE POLICIES THAT WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED PUSHBACK FOR, EVEN ENGAGING IN THESE CONVERSATIONS, RIGHT? THERE ARE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE ABSOLUTELY AGAINST US PLACING ANY RESTRICTIONS ON A DEVICE THAT THEY'VE PURCHASED FOR THEIR CHILD. SO WE ARE NAVIGATING WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE GOING TO FOLLOW THE RULES AND CREATE A
[00:45:01]
DIFFERENT POLICY. I MEAN, ANY RULE THAT YOU CAN THINK OF ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT WILL NOT CHEAT ON AN EXAM. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT WOULD NEVER SHOW UP TO A SCHOOL FUNCTION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. RIGHT. SO A BLANKET POLICY OFTENTIMES DOES TARGET INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY BE RESPONSIBLE CONSUMERS OF FILL IN THE BLANK. WE'RE JUST AT A POINT NOW WHERE WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE WE FEEL. FOUND RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SOMETHING TO SHIFT AWAY FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON OUR CAMPUSES. UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S GOING TO IMPACT SOME STUDENTS WHO DO ADHERE TO THE RULES. DOES THE YOUNGER POUCH LIKE LIVE AT SCHOOL, OR ARE FAMILIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM COMING HOME AND COMING BACK TO SCHOOL? YEAH, SO I CAN RESPOND TO WHAT WE RECOMMEND AS BEST PRACTICE. IT'S NOT WHAT EVERY SCHOOL DOES, OR EVERY DISTRICT CHOOSES TO DO. WE'VE SEEN THE MOST SUSTAINABLE APPROACH. IS WHEN THE POUCH GOES HOME AND COMES BACK THE NEXT DAY. PRIMARILY, THAT DOESN'T PUT A LARGE LOGISTICAL LOAD ON THE SCHOOL TO GIVE EVERY STUDENT BACK THEIR POUCH.THERE ARE CERTAIN SOLUTIONS THAT DO LEAVE THE POUCHES IN THE BUILDING, BUT THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO EVERYTHING. AND THEN IF THEY DON'T, THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING ANOTHER POUCH IF THEY SHOW UP TO SCHOOL AND THEY FORGET IT? YEAH, USUALLY, YEAH. SO THERE'S A FUNNY PSYCHOLOGICAL THING THAT GOES ON THERE. I THINK WORRY IS A VERY ABOUT SOMETHING COMING BACK TO SCHOOL OR TO A BUILDING.
YONDER'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL AT HAVING THE POUCHES COME BACK. FOR ONE MAIN REASON, AND THAT IS, WHILE STUDENTS FORGET EVERYTHING THEY'VE EVER HAD, THEY NEVER FORGET THEIR CELL PHONE, IF THEY DO HAVE ONE.
AND ONCE THE PHONE IS IN THE POUCH FOR LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES, 40 MINUTES, IT'S PRETTY BONDED TO THAT CELL PHONE AS WELL. SO ANYTIME THE STUDENT PICKS UP THE CELL PHONE TO GO TO SCHOOL, THEY ALSO THINK OF THE POUCH. THEY'VE GOT TO PUT IT IN BECAUSE THAT HABIT'S SO STRONG WHILE WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
AFTER THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A CERTAIN GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT ARE GOING TO CHOOSE NOT TO BRING THE POUCH BACK, AS THEY WOULD CHOOSE TO DO A LOT OF THINGS. AND AT THAT POINT, STEPHANIE AND MYSELF HAVE FOUND A LOT OF POLICIES BE VERY EFFECTIVE, JUST ALLOW THOSE SCHOOLS TO JUST HAVE A VERY HIGH COMPLIANCE RATE. IN THE POUCHES COMING BACK EVERY DAY. JUST AS MARIA IS DELIVERING THE MICROPHONE FOR THE NEXT QUESTION, I HAD A PARENT APPROACH ME AND SAY, COULD I LOCK MY CHILD'S...
DEVICE IN THE YONDER POUCH ON FRIDAY AND NOT ALLOW THEM TO UNLOCK IT UNTIL THEY LEAVE SCHOOL ON MONDAY. SO GREAT QUESTION.
WE'VE ALSO HEARD OR READ ONLINE THAT SOMETIMES STUDENTS WILL DESTROY THE POUCH, CUT IT OPEN, AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO, AGAIN, NOT GETTING AHEAD OF ANY DECISION THAT'S BEING MADE, WE WOULD HAVE TO CREATE AS PART OF OUR POLICY. WHAT HAPPENS FOR A DAMAGED OR LOST POUCH? CORRECT, CORRECT. LIKE WE ARE FOR OUR CHROMEBOOKS OR THE CELL PHONE ITSELF THAT WE'VE PURCHASED. YEAH. WHAT ABOUT MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO IN REGARDS TO WHAT ARE THE TEACHERS DOING IN CLASS? THERE ARE STORIES AND STORIES OF TEACHERS ON CELL PHONES ALL DAY LONG, PLANNING WEDDINGS, SEEING WHAT THEY'RE DOING AFTER SCHOOL. IT'S A STORY THAT COMES UP OFTEN THAT I HEAR AS A PARENT. I CAN'T SPEAK, ONCE AGAIN, TO THIS DISTRICT ITSELF.
I'M GOING TO SPEAK TO JUST HOW WE APPROACH ANY SCHOOL OR DISTRICT IN THE PRE-IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING THAT WE FIND SO IMPORTANT. AND THAT INCLUDES A STAFF PRESENTATION WHERE WE SAY MODELING IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO MAKING THIS SUCCESSFUL. AND THERE CERTAINLY NEEDS TO BE BUY-IN FROM STAFF AT SCHOOLS WHO USE YONDER. A QUESTION TO YOU, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE SCENARIO IN WHICH A TEACHER SAYS THAT IT'S BENEFICIAL FOR THEM TO HAVE A CELL PHONE OR A SMART PHONE IN CLASS? BECAUSE THIS IS A CALCULATION, YOU KNOW, AN ALGEBRA CLASS, SOMETHING, SOME CLASS WHERE IT'S USEFUL.
OR THERE IS A DESIRE OF THE TEACHER TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CHILDREN BEYOND CLASS HOURS, CHANGE IN COURSE, CHANGE IN HOMEWORK, WHATEVER. BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD THAT FROM THE TEACHERS THAT IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO THEM TO HAVE A SMARTPHONE.
GREAT QUESTION, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT KICKING ANY CANS DOWN THE ROAD. THOSE WOULD HAVE TO BE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE ENGAGE IN WITH OUR CERTIFICATED STAFF MEMBERS. I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER MECHANISMS FOR TEACHERS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR STUDENTS. THEY HAVE CLASS WEBSITES. THEY CAN GO THROUGH THEIR CLASSROOM PAGE, PROVIDE UPDATES TO THEIR STUDENTS. WE DO HAVE, AND I RECEIVED A FEW TARGETED QUESTIONS FROM STAFF MEMBERS, LIKE, I ALLOW STUDENTS TO USE PHONES FOR THIS VERY SPECIFIC PURPOSE
[00:50:02]
IN THIS CLASS. WE WOULD HAVE TO WORK WITH THOSE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS AND CREATE RESOURCES TO MITIGATE THOSE ISSUES OR THOSE CONCERNS. I THINK, YOU KNOW, BUILDING OFF OF THE STAFF QUESTION AND THE MODELING OF APPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS, WE ABSOLUTELY WOULD HAVE TO SIT DOWN WITH OUR FACULTY ASSOCIATION AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THIS IS AND WHAT THIS IS NOT. YOU KNOW, STUDENTS TELL US THE MOST POWERFUL. PERSPECTIVES FROM FROM THEIR LENS. WE'VE HEARD AMAZING STORIES THAT I WANTED TO RECORD AND SHARE WITH TEACHERS, THAT I WOULD NEVER DREAM OF HAVING MY CELL PHONE OUT IN THIS TEACHERS CLASSROOM.NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE STERN DISCIPLINARIANS, BUT BECAUSE FROM THE MOMENT THE BELL RINGS UNTIL THE THE END OF THE PERIOD, THEY ARE 100% ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES WITH THE CLASS.
AND THEN WE'VE HEARD, AS SOMEONE MENTIONED EARLIER, THAT IF THERE'S 10, 15 MINUTES LEFT AT THE END OF THE PERIOD, STUDENTS MAY RETRIEVE THEIR PHONE AND GO ON TO THEIR DEVICE. WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE A CONSISTENT PRACTICE AND ENSURE THAT OUR STAFF ARE AWARE OF WHAT THOSE EXPECTATIONS ARE.
AND THEN FOLLOW THROUGH FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE POINT OF VIEW AND PERSPECTIVE. I'M JUST CURIOUS TO SEE, DO YOU WORK WITH SCHOOLS, LIKE WITH SMARTWATCHES? DOES THE OUTER POUCH WORK WITH SMARTWATCH NOW THAT THEY ALL HAVE? POTENTIALLY CELLULAR DATA AND CAPACITY TO TEXT AND CALL AND STUFF? YEAH, SO WE CERTAINLY DO.
THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WHY WE HAVE A LARGE POUCH. AND SO THIS GENERAL ANSWER HERE, IF THE SCHOOL IS LOOKING FOR A MORE ROBUST POLICY THAT INCLUDES ALL WEARABLE TECH, THOSE CAN FIT IN THE POUCH, ESPECIALLY IF THEY DO HAVE THEIR OWN DATA PLAN AND CAN ACT AS A PHONE. AS FAR AS THE SIGNAL BLOCKING QUESTION, LIKE I SAID, WE DO OFFER A SIGNAL BLOCKING POUCH, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT COMMONLY CHOSEN BY SCHOOLS.
SO, DOES THAT? OKAY. MY QUESTION IS BACK TO, LIKE, THE RECESSES AND BREAKS, OR MORE OF, LIKE, A COMMENT TO MAKE SURE TO BE PASSED ON TO THE BOARD. THE IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE CLASSROOM, I THINK, IS SOMEWHAT WORKING. I'M NOT THERE PRESENT, BUT THE FEEDBACK WE GET FROM OUR SEVENTH GRADER IS THAT AT LUNCH, HE SITS AT A TABLE, AND EVERYBODY IS ON THEIR DEVICES, PLAYING THEIR GAMES. ALL SITTING AROUND THE SAME TABLE, BUT NOT INTERACTING. AND HE DOESN'T HAVE THAT. SO HE'S BEGGING, OBVIOUSLY. AND HE JUST TALKS ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO MAKE FRIENDS BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S ON THEIR DEVICES.
AND SO I THINK THAT WE'LL SEE IN THE LONG TERM WITH STUDENTS THAT IT'S JUST GOING TO GROW AND GROW AND BECOME HARDER AND HARDER, ESPECIALLY THE MORE PARENTS CAVE AND ARE LIKE, OKAY, FINE, I'LL HAVE. YOU HAVE GAMES SO YOU CAN DO SOMETHING AND NOT FEEL LONELY AT SCHOOL. SCHOOL? SO I REALLY THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE BOARD KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON AT LUNCH BREAKS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK ALL THE PARENTS ARE AS AWARE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WE DO HAVE NOW FOUR TRUSTEES HERE.
AGAIN, THEY MAY NOT PARTICIPATE. THEY'RE OBSERVERS, THEY ARE AWARE OF THE SCENARIO THAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED. ONE OF THE PARENTS IS WHO CAME AND MET WITH US PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, HAS DIRECT EXPERIENCE, ACTUALLY, TWO OF THE PARENTS AT FRANCIS PARKER, AND THEY REFERRED TO RECESS AND LUNCH AS HEADS UP, BECAUSE ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS STAFF NOTICED WAS THEY'RE NOT SEEING THE TOP OF STUDENTS' HEADS. THEY'RE SEEING EYEBALLS AND STUDENTS ARE MORE ACTIVELY ENGAGED WITH PEERS. AND THEN I FEEL THE SCHOOL WOULD HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY.
DURING RECESS, DURING LUNCH, WHAT ARE SOME ACTIVITIES THAT WE COULD DESIGN OR CREATE? THROUGH OUR ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODIES, THROUGH VARIOUS CLUBS ON CAMPUS, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ATTEMPTING TO CONNECT STUDENTS WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, BUILD COMMUNITY AND ENGAGE THOSE LEARNERS IN ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD LEAD TO FRIENDSHIP AND RELATIONSHIPS, ETC. VERY WELL.
THANK YOU FOR THAT POINT. I ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL PASS THAT ON TO THE GOVERNING BOARD.
AND IF WE DO TOUR CAMPUSES, I THINK WE WOULD MOST LIKELY TOUR CAMPUSES WITH A POLICY LIKE THIS, AND THEN A SCHOOL DISTRICT WITHOUT. SO THEY COULD VISIBLY SEE THE DIFFERENCE.
HI, JUST TO PIGGYBACK OFF THAT, I THINK REHABBING NO CELL PHONES DURING THE RECESSES AND THE LUNCH WOULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL. BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THE PLAY AND YOU SIT UP BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO SIT WITH YOU IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ANYMORE. AND YOU WATCH DOWN AND THEY'RE HAVING THE INTERMISSION, ALL THE KIDS WITH THE PHONE ARE ON THEIR PHONE, AND THE KIDS THAT DON'T HAVE THEIR PHONE.
ARE SITTING THERE AND UP, BUT THEY'RE RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR BEST BUDDIES AND THEY'RE NOT
[00:55:01]
COMMUNICATING. JUST THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL COMPONENT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHERE THEY'RE LEARNING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S AN INSIDE THOUGHT AND WHAT'S AN OUTSIDE THOUGHT.AND IF THEY'RE DOING IT ONLY ON THE PHONE, AND THEY'RE NOT SEEING SOMEONE'S, LIKE, FACIAL RECOGNITION AND THEIR REACTION, IT'S SO EASY FOR KIDS TO GET MEANER AND MEANER INTO THE BULLYING BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEE IT. BUT IF YOU SAY, LIKE, YOU'RE A WHATEVER AND YOU SEE SOMEONE'S EYES, LIKE, KIND OF GO, LIKE, THEY REGISTER THAT THIS ISN'T OKAY. AND THAT'S THEIR UNFILTERED TIME. BECAUSE IN THE CLASSROOM, I DON'T HEAR THAT. IT'S A PROBLEM RIGHT NOW. I THINK, HOWEVER THE POUCH IS AND STUFF, I THINK THAT'S WORKING BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THE KIDS ARE PROBABLY FOLLOWING THE RULES.
AND YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE THE OUTLIER IN NO MATTER WHAT SITUATION, RIGHT? AND SO I DON'T THINK YOU CAN MAKE A POLICY BASED ON THE OUTLIERS, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT'S GOING TO BE. BUT I THINK THAT THE TIME THAT THEY HAVE, THAT'S UNSTRUCTURED. THANK YOU.
IS PRECIOUS TIME, AND KEEPING THEM AWAY FROM THOSE DEVICES DURING THOSE UNSTRUCTURED TIME IS EDUCATIONAL TIME. BECAUSE THAT'S THE TIME THAT THEY'RE LEARNING HOW TO BE GOOD, POSITIVE HUMANS. AND HOW ARE THEY LEARNING TO HAVE CONVERSATION AND ENGAGE? AND IF THEY'RE FIGURING OUT IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE FRIENDS OR NOT FRIENDS, OR IN RELATIONSHIPS OR NOT RELATIONSHIPS. AND THEY CAN'T DO IT IF THEY'RE GLUED TO A GAME OR THEY'RE GLUED TO WHATEVER, WHETHER IT'S CELLULAR OR NOT.
GREAT, GREAT POINT. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK AN OUTCOME OF THIS CONVERSATION WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, I WANT TO THANK OUR PARTNERS AT SAFE HARBOR. THEY RECENTLY HAD A GUEST SPEAKER COME TO TALK TO PARENTS. AND ACTUALLY, THAT'S AN ONGOING KIND OF A PLACEHOLDER IN THEIR ANNUAL CALENDAR TO HAVE EXPERTS COME AND SPEAK. I CAN'T IMAGINE. I MEAN, WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED DURING THE PLAY, OR DURING THE RECESS, OR DURING THE LUNCH. I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR STUDENTS EXPERIENCE THAT WE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH. IF YOU HAD CONFLICT WITH A FRIEND, WELL, I'M OLDER THAN MOST OF YOU. I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH ANYONE, MOST OF YOU. WE HAD CONFLICT WITH ONE INDIVIDUAL, THAT HAPPENED AT SCHOOL. OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING HOME, AND IF THEY'RE ALL ON THE PHONE, THAT CONFLICT CONTINUES, AND IT GROWS, AND IT EXPANDS, AND IT EXPANDS. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AS A COMMUNITY ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER PRESSURES THAT TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL HAS PLACED UPON OUR STUDENTS. IF I GOT A POOR GRADE IN EIGHTH GRADE, I KNEW I HAD UNTIL THE NEXT PROGRESS REPORT TO RAISE MY GRADE UP. BEFORE MY MOM AND DAD KNEW THAT I GOT A D ON THAT GEOMETRY TEST. OUR PARENTS KNOW OFTENTIMES, BEFORE OUR STUDENTS KNOW WHAT THE GRADE WAS ON THAT GEOMETRY TEST. SO THIS MAY BE A CATALYST TO REALLY HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND THE ADDED PRESSURE AND ANXIETY THAT IT PLACES ON OUR KIDDOS, WHETHER IT'S PEER-TO-PEER SOCIAL INTERACTIONS OR EVEN HOW WE ARE USING TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS. WHAT SKILLS ARE MISSING? IF I GOT A D ON THAT GEOMETRY TEST AND I KNEW I HAD. FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE PROGRESS REPORT CAME OUT, I'M GOING TO TALK TO MY TEACHER, I'M WORKING HARD, I'M STUDYING. BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY MOM AND DAD TO KNOW THAT I GOT A D ON THAT TEST. SO I THINK IN GENERAL, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL AND THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAVING ON OUR... I JUST WANTED TO PIGGYBACK. I HAVE A SEVENTH GRADER AND SHE HAS THE SAME EXPERIENCE. I'M ONE OF THE, WHAT FEELS LIKE VERY FEW PARENTS THAT HAVE NOT CAVED ON THE CELL PHONE THING. I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE, BUT SHE THINKS WE ARE. SHE SWEARS EVERYBODY HAS ONE, BUT SHE HAS THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE.
AT LUNCH AND RECESS, SHE SITS THERE WHILE ALL OF HER FRIENDS STARE AT PHONES, AND THEY'RE NOT INTERACTING, AND THEY'RE NOT LOOKING EACH OTHER IN THE EYE. AND NOT TO MENTION, JUST TO ADD ON, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT ON THESE PHONES. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT PICTURES ARE BEING SHARED. I MEAN, WE CAN GUESS, BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S REALLY STUFF WE DON'T WANT THEM LOOKING AT IN ADDITION. AND ALSO I WANTED TO PIGGYBACK ON A COMMENT ABOUT TEACHERS ENCOURAGING KIDS TO USE CELL PHONES. THAT IS AN EXPERIENCE MY DAUGHTER HAS HAD.
AND I DISAGREE WITH IT WHOLEHEARTEDLY, ESPECIALLY FROM JUST LIKE AN EQUITY STANDPOINT.
SHE'S IN HYBRID PE, AND HER TEACHER KIND OF ENCOURAGES THE KIDS TO DO THE VIDEOS AND STUFF THAT THEY HAVE TO DO ON THEIR CELL PHONES. AND SO SHE'S CONSTANTLY HAVING TO, LIKE, BORROW A FRIEND'S PHONE OR COME HOME AND USE MINE AND SEND IT. AND IT MAKES THE EXPERIENCE HARDER FOR HER. SO I STRONGLY WOULD HOPE THAT TEACHERS ARE NOT ENCOURAGING KIDS TO USE CELL PHONES. JUST SIMPLY FROM AN EQUITY STANDPOINT.
BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF KIDS THAT DON'T HAVE THEM OR DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEM. SO I I BELIEVE, AS WE'RE TRANSITIONING
[01:00:01]
TO THE NEXT QUESTION, THANK YOU, SAM. UM, YOU KNOW, WE ABSOLUTELY WOULD HAVE TO ENGAGE VERY WELL-INTENDED, PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS IN OUR DISTRICT. TRY TO LEVERAGE ACCESSIBILITY AND EFFICIENCY. I RECEIVED ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED HAD TO DO WITH NOTIFICATIONS FROM ASB TO CLASSES, RIGHT? PRIMARILY, THAT HAPPENS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SO HOW DO WE RETRAIN? HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE OTHER AVENUES? I WOULD ACTUALLY LUMP INTO THAT TO... BREAK AWAY OR VEER AWAY FROM, BUT YOUR POINT IS WELL RECEIVED. OUR TEACHERS HAVE TO BE ON BOARD, AND I BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL BE. I ALSO, I LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT THERE. A LOT OF QUESTIONS CENTERED AROUND PARENTS SAYING, WELL, I NEED TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY CHILD DURING THE DAY ABOUT PICKUP TIME, OR I NEED THEM TO PICK UP THEIR SIBLING. AND I DIDN'T TELL THEM THIS MORNING.WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO RETRAIN A LOT OF BEHAVIORS. RIGHT? WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK AGAIN TO THE OLD SCHOOL. I'M CALLING THE FRONT OFFICE. HEY, REMIND JOHNNY, I'M PICKING HIM UP AT 115 FOR A DENTIST APPOINTMENT.
SENDING AN EMAIL TO A TEACHER RATHER THAN A TEXT. THERE WILL BE A LOT OF REPROGRAMMING AND RETRAINING SYSTEMS THAT WE'VE JUST, IN THE SPIRIT OF EFFICIENCY, COME TO RELY UPON DEVICES. I WAS JUST GOING TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT TOO, BECAUSE SOME OF OUR THANK YOU. KIDS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FRIENDS AND THEY, SOME HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES WITH THE LUNCH BREAKS AND ALL THAT. SO, BUT I WANTED TO SAY TWO THINGS. ONE, I KNOW FROM LAST YEAR, EVEN SIXTH GRADE OR FIFTH GRADE, SOMETIMES SHE WOULD SAY THAT SOME OF THE TEACHERS HAVE TEXT GROUP CHATS, WHICH I THINK SHOULD NOT, THERE SHOULD BE ZERO EXPECTATION THAT KIDS SHOULD HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. AND IT ALSO, NOT ONLY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, SOME KIDS MAY NOT BE AS PROFICIENT IN, YOU KNOW, USING CELL PHONES OR TEXTING, OR THAT SORT OF THING. SO THAT EXPECTATION IS ALSO, I THINK, UNFAIR OR NOT RIGHT TO PUT THAT. SO THAT MAY GO INTO THE NEXT LEVEL OF WHAT TEACHERS DO AND WHAT THEY EXPECT KIDS IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION WITH TEXTING. OKAY, SO I HAVE A NINTH GRADER, AND I WAS JUST WONDERING, WHAT, SO THEY'RE, AND OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE THE LUNCH THING. WOULD THEY NOT HAVE THEIR PHONE DURING LUNCH, OR DO THEY GET THEIR PHONE DURING LUNCH? SO HOW IS THAT GOING TO WORK? SO THANK YOU, JUSTINE, FOR THE QUESTION.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT AND WORK WITH OUR TEAMS. AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. THIS IS ACTUALLY A PERFECT SEGUE INTO. WE HAVE SOMEONE HERE WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE ON FRANCIS PARKER'S IMPLEMENTATION AND HOW THEY ROLLED THIS OUT. IF I DON'T MIND PUTTING HER ON THE SPOT. PEGGY, DO YOU MIND SHARING A LITTLE BIT? HI, I'M PEGGY DUNCAN, AND I AM ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AT FRANCIS PARKER SCHOOL, WHERE WE IMPLEMENTED THE YONDER POUCH PROGRAM. A YEAR AGO, SO IT'S ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF IN NOW, FULL SCHOOL YEAR. LAST YEAR WE HAD IT, AND WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THIS YEAR. AND, YOU KNOW, FRANCIS PARKER, IT'S ALMOST HALF THE SIZE OF CORONADO UNIFIED, BUT I THINK THAT THE RESULTS WE HAVE ARE PRETTY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO HAVE HERE, WHICH I CAN SAY ARE ALMOST ENTIRELY POSITIVE.
IT'S BEEN REMARKABLE ACROSS THE BOARD. PARENTS, STAFF, AND THE STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY REALLY HAPPY. WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE SEEN. AND YEAH, THERE'S A FEW BUMPS. I MEAN, THERE'S SOME IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES, SOME RETRAINING OF HOW WE COMMUNICATE AND DO THINGS.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU, EVEN A LOT OF THE STUDENTS THAT SEEM TO KIND OF COMPLAIN AND NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT IT. IN THE BEGINNING SEEMED RELIEVED ONCE THE PROGRAM GOT GOING. BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY'S KIND OF AT THIS POINT WHERE WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED A BREAK FROM THIS, BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. AND WE NEED SOMEBODY TO HELP US GET THERE. AND THAT'S REALLY THE BIG CHANGE THAT WE'VE SEEN. IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THE KIDS ARE LIKE, THANK GOODNESS, THIS IS HERE, SO THAT WE HAVE A REASON TO ENGAGE AND ALMOST AN EXCUSE.
THE PRESSURE TO ALWAYS BE ON YOUR PHONE AT ALL TIMES IS RELIEVED, AND IT'S A NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENT IN THE MENTAL HEALTH STATUS OF THE KIDS. AND, YEAH, THE HEADS-UP THING, THAT'S THE BIGGEST CHANGE. YOU JUST COME ON CAMPUS AND YOU SEE EVERYBODY LOOKING UP INSTEAD OF LOOKING DOWN. IT'S DRAMATIC.
ENFORCEMENT IS A LOAD OFF THEIR BACK AS WELL. SO IT'S
[01:05:01]
JUST, IT'S RELIEF. THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN IT.THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE PEOPLE THAT ARE BREAKING THEM AND FIGURING OUT WAYS. THERE'S MAGNETS YOU CAN BUY, ALL THE THINGS. THAT'S ALL TRUE. AND SO, I MEAN, IT'S NOT A SILVER BULLET, BUT IT'S JUST ENOUGH TO WHERE. PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR A REASON TO PUT THEM AWAY, THIS IS SORT OF PUSHED IN THERE. SO IN TERMS OF, YEAH, WE HAVE.
SENIORS ARE ALLOWED TO GO OFF CAMPUS FOR LUNCH, AND ANY TIME THAT THE KIDS GO OFF CAMPUS FOR A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT, WHATEVER, THEY CAN UNLOCK ON THE WAY OUT AND THEN THEY LOCK ON THE WAY BACK IN. SO THAT'S WHAT'S WORKED WELL FOR US.
YEAH, I HAD KIND OF A TWO-PART QUESTION, COMMENT, NECESSITY OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. SO MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION THIS YEAR WAS TO GET RID OF INSTAGRAM AND SNAPCHAT, WHICH HAS BEEN GOING WELL SO FAR. ONE OF THE HARDEST PARTS HAS BEEN STAYING CONNECTED AT SCHOOL, THOUGH, BECAUSE OUR ASB, OUR COSA, AND CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS ALMOST SOLELY COME THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA. WE HAVE A SENIOR CLASS EVENT THAT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT UNTIL YESTERDAY, BECAUSE I'M JUST NOT IN THE LOOP. AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF REPLACEMENT FOR THAT, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, STUDENTS LIKE ME ARE GOING TO BE OUT OF THE LOOP. IF WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT, IF THAT CAN'T BE THE PRIMARY MODE. AND A SECONDARY, TO TALK ABOUT KIND OF THE EQUITY OF LIKE SKILLS THAT STUDENTS HAVE USING DEVICES, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T OVERCOMPENSATE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY USE NOW. I CAUTION AGAINST OVERCOMPENSATING TO A POINT WHERE WE ARE NO LONGER FOLLOWING THE PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE RESPONSIBLE USE OF TECHNOLOGY. WE STILL NEED TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR GOING OUT INTO A WORLD WHERE, HEY, IN MY COLLEGE LECTURE, MY PHONE'S NOT GOING TO BE LOCKED.
IN MY JOB INTERVIEW, MY PHONE'S NOT GOING TO BE LOCKED, SO WE HAVE TO STILL PREPARE STUDENTS TO HAVE THOSE SKILLS. SO THIS WOULD HAVE TO COME WITH SOME SORT OF EDUCATION WITH IT, SOME SORT OF WAY TO PIVOT THAT. AND THEN ALSO, I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE OUT OF THE LOOP IF I'M NOT ON INSTAGRAM, IS BASICALLY THE SECOND PART TO THAT. SO FIGURING OUT ACROSS SCHOOLS HOW WE'RE GETTING ANNOUNCEMENTS OUT ABOUT THINGS, IF IT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ALL OF US THAT ARE NO LONGER ON SOCIAL MEDIA. GREAT POINT.
OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE. YEAH. SO AGAIN, GREAT POINTS AND SYSTEMS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED AND REWIRED.
AND SEAN, 52 YEARS, WITHOUT BEING AN INSTAGRAM USER, YOU'RE GOING TO START SAYING THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIRE. SO BE CAREFUL.
IT'S PRETTY BAD. OTHER QUESTIONS COMING UP. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT. I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THE FOCUS GROUP, WHOEVER PUT THIS TOGETHER, FOR EXPLORING THIS AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE RESIDUAL EFFECTS. THAT IT'S MORE THAN JUST CELL PHONE USE, THAT IT'S SOCIAL MEDIA USE.
AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT OUR KIDS ARE HAVING TO NAVIGATE THESE DAYS, WHICH IS JUST, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE IT AT THEIR AGE. AND USING IT RESPONSIBLY. I MEAN, MOST ADULTS DON'T USE IT RESPONSIBLY. SO THANK YOU, AND THEN I KNOW THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT. OF PUSHBACK, BECAUSE EVEN WHEN MY ELDEST WAS IN FIFTH GRADE, I TRIED TO START, YOU KNOW, I TEXTED OR EMAILED AS MANY FIFTH GRADE PARENTS AS I COULD, SAYING, LET'S HOLD OFF ON GIVING OUR KIDS CELL PHONES.
AND I GOT PERSONALLY SO MUCH PUSHBACK FROM PARENTS ABOUT IT. SO I CAN IMAGINE WHAT YOU'RE GETTING. SO IS THERE A WAY TO PUT TOGETHER A SHORT AND VERY COMPELLING LIST OF DATA THAT CAN BE BLASTED OUT TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY? SCHOOL DISTRICT TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT SO THAT PARENTS CAN SEE WHAT THIS CHANGE MIGHT PROVIDE FOR THEIR CHILDREN? YES, 100%. WE CERTAINLY HAVE THOSE RESOURCES.
INTERESTINGLY, THOUGH, I WILL SAY, A SHORT LIST IS VERY TOUGH. SO WE'D KIND OF WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT... WELL, WHATEVER LENGTH, BUT YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE THIS MUCH ATTENTION SPAN.
SO, YOU KNOW, PRETTY PICTURES AND WHATEVER THEY CAN GET THE
[01:10:01]
POINT ACROSS. WE CERTAINLY HAVE THOSE RESOURCES TO ASSIST. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE BROWN ACT FOR ME.TO QUOTE A BOARD MEMBER, BUT A BOARD MEMBER MADE A VERY POWERFUL STATEMENT ABOUT CELL PHONES. AND THAT'S IF WE ARE LIABLE FOR THE ACTIONS AND BEHAVIORS OF OUR STUDENTS WHEN THEY'RE ON OUR CAMPUS, WE'RE THE ONES GOING TO MAKE THIS DECISION. NOW, CLEARLY, WE WANT TO ALLAY FEARS AROUND SAFETY, AROUND COMMUNICATION WITH.
CHILDREN, FOR OUR PARENTS WHO HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO PUSH BACK ON THIS, AND WE NEED TO CREATE SYSTEMS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE COME UP THIS AFTERNOON. BUT AT THE END OF THE DELIBERATION OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, I BELIEVE THOSE FIVE TRUSTEES WILL MAKE A DECISION AND STAND BEHIND IT, UNDERSTANDING THAT MOST DECISIONS MADE EVERY THURSDAY UP HERE DON'T HAVE.
100% UNANIMOUS SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEY WANT TO MAKE A DATA-DRIVEN DECISION THAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST PRIMARILY OF OUR STUDENTS, OF OUR STAFF, AND TO ADHERE TO THEIR FIDUCIARY AND LIABILITY RESPONSIBILITIES OVER THE TIME. CAN I ASK ABOUT COST? YOU CAN ASK. YOU CAN ASK ME ANYTHING. JUST WONDERING HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? HOW MUCH WILL IT COST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT? AND YOU KNOW, WHAT IMPACT WILL THAT HAVE ON YOUR BUDGET? SO AGAIN, OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO PROVIDE OUR GOVERNING BOARD WITH ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE PER INDIVIDUAL STUDENT? SO YOU KNOW, TK THROUGH 12, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE BY SITE. SO THEY'RE MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS. I DO BELIEVE JUST LOOKING OUT IN THE INDIVIDUALS IN THIS ROOM, THIS MAY BE SOMETHING THAT IS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST. AND IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT OUR PARTNERS THROUGH SAFE OR CSF, OR SOME OF OUR SERVICE CLUBS, LIKE THE OPTIMIST CLUB, COULD HELP OFFSET. I ALWAYS WORRY ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR BUDGET. IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS, IF THE BOARD IS GOING TO ACT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF STUDENTS, WE'RE GOING TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. YES AND NO. WE ARE THE ONLY COMPANY THAT OFFERS THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR 10 YEARS. THERE'S SOME OTHER SIMILAR COMPANIES. WE DO HAVE A PRETTY STRONG IP, SO THE LOCKING POUCH ISN'T GOING TO BE FOUND THAT LOOKS LIKE OURS. BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THE CONCEPT OF BECOMING PHONE-FREE HAS BECOME EXTREMELY POPULAR AND WIDESPREAD. I THINK THERE'S SOMEONE BACK HERE WHO'S BEEN ON THAT TALK FOR A WHILE. SO WE'RE NOT UNIQUE TO THE SPACE, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY THE LEADERS AND HAVE BEEN HERE THE LONGEST. I DON'T KNOW, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. I KNOW WE WORK WITH MILLIONS OF STUDENTS, 23 COUNTRIES, AND THOUSANDS OF SCHOOLS. AND I WILL SHARE, AND JAY AND I APPRECIATE. I THINK WHERE THE QUESTION IS COMING FROM, WE REACHED OUT TO YONDER BECAUSE OF MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO HAD DIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH YONDER. AND JUST THROUGH CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH FELLOW SUPERINTENDENTS ACROSS THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, THEIR PRODUCT COMES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FROM SOME OF THE SANTA CLARA, LOS GATOS DISTRICTS, FRANCIS PARKER.
AGAIN, WE'VE HAD PARENTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE IN VIRGINIA WITH THE YONDER POUCH. GREAT QUESTION. WE ASKED THEM TO COME AND SPEAK HERE BECAUSE THIS IS KIND OF THE BRAND THAT WAS BROUGHT TO US AS SOMETHING TO EXPLORE.
I'VE USED A YONDER POUCH AT A BIG EVENT FOR A COMEDIAN, AND I JUST TALK ABOUT REWIRING.
I WAS SO HESITANT THAT I ALMOST DIDN'T GO IN. BECAUSE I THOUGHT, OH MY GOSH, I HAVE A BABY AT HOME, AND MY MOM'S BABYSITTING, AND ALL OF THE THINGS AS A NEW PARENT.
BUT I'LL TELL YOU, IT WAS SO WONDERFUL ONCE I GOT IN THERE AND RELEASED THAT PRESSURE. AND I LOOKED AROUND, AND INCLUDING MY HUSBAND, THAT CAN BE ON HIS PHONE AT CONCERTS AND STUFF TOO MUCH, INSTEAD OF ENJOYING IT.
BUT IT WAS SO NICE TO LOOK AROUND, AND NO ONE WAS WATCHING AMY SCHUMER THROUGH THEIR PHONE.
AND EVERYONE SAT AND ENJOYED IT, AND ALSO TO THE POINT OF LOCKING IT AND EXITING THE BUILDING. IT WAS A HUGE VENUE.
YOU DIDN'T EVEN MISS A BEAT EXITING. YOU STOPPED IT, AND YOU THREW IT IN THE BIN,
[01:15:01]
AND YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY. SO IF ANYBODY'S WORRIED ABOUT THE CLUSTER IT MAY CAUSE, IT WAS A HUGE EVENT, AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE.WHY DON'T WE TAKE ONE OR TWO MORE QUESTIONS? AND THEN WRAP IT UP IF THERE ARE ONE OR TWO MORE QUESTIONS. YES, THANK YOU, JANE. SO THE THEMES THAT CAME IN, I BELIEVE WE'VE ADDRESSED, EMERGENCY ACCESS AND SAFETY, PARENT-TO-STUDENT COMMUNICATION ALTERNATIVES, AFTER-SCHOOL AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
THAT FALLS INTO THE CATEGORY OF. THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO CREATE SYSTEMS FOR IF THIS IS THE DIRECTION THAT THE GOVERNING BOARD IS GOING TO LEAD US IN. SMART WATCHES AND SIMILAR DEVICES, WOULD THEY BE INCLUDED IN A SHIFT ON SMART DEVICES? I THINK I'VE BEEN BILLING THIS AS A CELL PHONE POLICY DISCUSSION, BUT REALLY, IT'S SMART DEVICE.
IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT DETAILS, A LOT OF THOSE THINGS WE ADDRESSED, OR WE WOULD NEED TO BUILD SYSTEMS FOR POLICY VIOLATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES.
THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO OUR DISCIPLINE, ACTION GUIDE AND ACCOMMODATION FOR SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.
I WILL ASK, DO YOU MIND SPEAKING TO, WE DO HAVE SOME PARENT CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR CHILD'S UNIQUE NEEDS AND HOW THEY NEED THEIR ACCESS TO THEIR DEVICE. CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT HOW THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION? YEAH, 100%. THE GOAL OF YONDER IS TO BE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE, AND OUR SOLUTION TO THAT IS ALSO VERY SIMPLE.
WE HAVE POUCHES THAT LOOK JUST LIKE OUR LOCKING VERSION, BUT THEY HAVE A VELCRO. TALK TO THEM SO THEY CAN BE RIPPED OPEN. THIS WILL BE SPECIFICALLY FOR STUDENTS WHO. THERE'S A CONVERSATION BEHIND IT, THERE'S A WRITTEN REASON, AND THERE IS A HIGHER LEVEL OF TRUST NEEDED WITH THOSE STUDENTS. USUALLY, BUT THEY'RE VERY GOOD ABOUT THAT. YEAH, ONCE AGAIN, NOT OVERLY COMPLICATED, BUT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO HAVE THOSE STUDENTS STAND OUT BY EITHER NOT HAVING A POUCH OR TAKING THEIR PHONE ENTIRELY. YES, YES AND NO.
YEAH, IT'S JUST A VERY SIMPLE, FIRM CLOSURE, AND THE SOUND BEHIND IT IS EFFECTIVE, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE PRODUCT DESIGN. CAN YOU SAY IT ON... IS THERE A FORUM FOR PARENTS...
TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR THE INITIATIVE, OR A PLACE WHERE WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT, SHARE EXPERIENCE? THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO OUR PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS, OUR PTOS, TO HAVE SPECIFIC THEME MEETINGS. I BELIEVE, AGAIN, NOT SPEAKING FOR THE GOVERNING BOARD, THAT AS WE ENGAGE IN THIS CONVERSATION LATER THIS MONTH, THAT THEY MAY PROVIDE SOME DIRECTION TO STAFF TO SURVEY OR POLL, OR... HOLD ANOTHER EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS, WHERE PEOPLE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OUTSPOKEN ABOUT WHERE THEY STAND ON THIS ISSUE. SO I DON'T HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE OPEN TO.
CHANGE IS DIFFICULT. PEOPLE HATE TWO THINGS IN THE WORLD, CHANGE AND THE WAY THINGS ARE, RIGHT? SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO OUR BEST ONCE A DIRECTION IS SET, OR WHEN THE REQUEST FOR A SPECIFIC. ACTION ITEM IS MADE IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN THE BOARD MEETING, WHEN THE SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR ACTION IS MADE, AND WHEN THE BOARD VOTES. THAT WE PROVIDE A VOICE FOR INDIVIDUALS. BUT AGAIN, TO QUOTE THAT BOARD MEMBER, THEY'RE THE FIVE THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS DECISION. I DON'T KNOW THAT. THEY WOULD SEND OUT A SURVEY OR CLICK YES IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT, AND BASE THEIR DECISION ON THAT, BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT...
TO PROVIDE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY AND STUDENT VOICE. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PARENTS THAT FEEL ISOLATED HERE, THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE, THEIR KID'S THE ONLY ONE, AND THERE'S MORE OF US THAN WE THINK. AND SO HAVING THE FEELING OF, OH, WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES, COULD GIVE STRENGTH TO THE CAUSE, TO THE CONVERSATION. SO A PLACE TO TALK ABOUT IT, NOT NECESSARILY VOICE TO THE ENTIRE DISTRICT, BUT A PLACE FOR PARENTS TO GATHER. GREAT SUGGESTION.
THANK YOU. HONESTLY, I DON'T EVEN SEE A DOWNSIDE TO DOING THIS. YOU KNOW, YOU'VE STARTED ALREADY IMPLEMENTING PUTTING THE PHONES, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE CLASSROOM. I THINK
[01:20:01]
THAT'S BEEN POSITIVE FOR EVERYBODY. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY DOWNSIDE TO THAT. THE OTHER THING IS, YOU HAVE TO ANTICIPATE WHAT'S COMING, AND WITH THE WAY AI IS TURNING OUT.THERE'S GOING TO BE A WHOLE LOT MORE PROBLEM.
AND IF WE DON'T GET AHEAD OF THAT, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF REALLY DETRIMENTAL THINGS HAPPEN IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. THANK YOU, MR. PEIPENKATTER. OKAY, GOOD FOR THE GROUP. YES. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR COMING.
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THE AGENDA WILL... NEXT BOARD MEETING IS ON FEBRUARY 19TH.
THE AGENDA WILL BE MADE PUBLIC THAT MONDAY AT 4PM IF YOU WANT TO REVIEW HOW THIS IS GOING TO BE AGENDIZED. A LOT OF INFORMATION WILL BE SIMILAR TO WHAT'S PRESENTED THIS EVENING TO AFFORD THE BOARD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SET SOME PRETTY CLEAR DIRECTION FOR US. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.