As reported by the 91.7 WVXU News, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) has updated its cellphone policy to allow for stricter rules on student use, inspired by a successful pilot program at Hughes High School. This move aligns with recent state efforts to minimize phone use in schools and aims to create a more focused learning environment.
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Key Takeaways
- Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) has updated its policy to allow schools to implement stricter rules on student cellphone use.
- A pilot program at Hughes High School requiring students to secure their phones in pouches has been deemed a success and serves as a model.
- CPS leadership plans to purchase secured phone pouches for district-wide use.
Cellphone use in schools has long been a contentious issue, with debates surrounding their impact on students’ focus and classroom dynamics. As technology becomes increasingly integral to daily life (especially with the current AI revolution), balancing its benefits and potential distractions in educational settings remains a critical challenge.
Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is addressing this challenge head-on by updating its cellphone policy to encourage stricter rules for student cellphone use. This move aligns with recent efforts by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office, which released a state model policy aimed at minimizing phone use in schools.
The updated CPS policy, announced recently, empowers individual schools within the district to create and enforce their own cellphone rules. This change is partly inspired by a successful pilot program at Hughes High School during the 2023-2024 school year. At Hughes, students were required to place their phones in secured pouches throughout the school day, significantly limiting access and reducing distractions.
Hughes High School Principal Jennifer Williams praised the program’s effectiveness, a sentiment echoed by CPS board members.
Similar to uniforms in some respects, buildings can come up with their own procedure and that is backed by board policy if they so choose,”
said Board Member Mike Moroski.
While not every school is mandated to adopt a policy as stringent as Hughes, CPS board members encourage looking at Hughes as a benchmark. Teachers and students alike have shown support for stricter cellphone rules, acknowledging that phones can be a major distraction in the classroom.
“At Shroder, some of the schools I visited, Withrow, [I] asked students just on a cursory level, ‘Hey, what do you think about cellphones not being in schools?’ Miraculously, the kids did not disagree,”
remarked Board Member Kareem Moffett.
Board President Eve Bolton suggested that CPS consider a district-wide ban on student cellphones in the future, signaling a potential shift towards even stricter regulations.
Interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy confirmed that CPS leadership plans to purchase secured phone pouches for use across the district, ensuring all schools have the tools needed to implement effective cellphone policies.
As CPS schools develop their individual cellphone rules, this initiative represents a significant step towards creating a more focused and less distracted learning environment. The success at Hughes High School provides a promising example for other schools to follow, aiming to improve educational outcomes by reducing the disruptions caused by cellphone use.
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