Santa Rosa schools may consider district-wide restrictions on student cell phone use

Students at two high schools in the Santa Rosa City School District and Rancho Cotate High School turned off their phones when the school bell rang on their first day of school this week.

They are among the first student groups in the district to have new zero-tolerance cell phone policies, implemented by teachers and school administrators who believe cell phone use during the school day contributes to a negative campus culture, lack of concentration and disruption to the day.

Depending on how things go at the two Santa Rosa schools, the rest of the district could follow, Daisy Morales, superintendent of Santa Rosa city schools, told The Press Democrat.

The new guidelines come at a time when calls for restrictions on cell phones in the classroom are growing. Already this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom, state schools director Tony Thurman and Sonoma County schools director Amie Carter have endorsed restrictions.

“As we strive to create the best learning environment for all students in the new school year, I am writing to you today to address a pressing issue that is affecting their well-being: the pervasive use of smartphones in schools,” Newsom wrote in a letter to school districts.

He pointed to data showing that excessive cell phone use is linked to increased anxiety, depression and other mental health problems. He also cited a Pew study in which 72% of high school teachers called cell phone use a “major problem.”

This is not the first time the governor has expressed his opposition to cell phones in schools. In 2019, he signed AB 272, which allows school districts to regulate smartphone use during school hours.

Since then, he has been encouraging districts to exercise their rights under the law.

Montgomery High School and Santa Rosa High School in Santa Rosa City Schools and Rancho Cotate High School in the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District are ahead of the curve with their policies, all of which were implemented this year.

Santa Rosa High School and Rancho Cotate now use cell phone caddies where students can keep their phones during class and then retrieve their phones after class.

The consequences for students not following the rules vary at the three schools. Montgomery has the strictest policy – teachers can confiscate phones and put them in a secure bag with a passcode only the teacher knows or a key only the teacher has. At the end of the day, the phone is returned to the student.

The different approaches focus on the negative effects of excessive mobile phone use by teenagers during the day.

Rancho Cotate conducted its own survey in fall 2023 that found that 73% of teachers had difficulty controlling student cell phone use during class.

“Our teachers report that student engagement and academic performance drop dramatically when they have access to their cell phones during class,” said Principal Heather Ramme.

The three schools are examples of efforts by teachers and school administrators to mitigate the problem through their own actions. To date, no school district has a standardized plan.

Morales, the superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools, said discussions have begun at the district level, but a district-wide move depends on how the measures are designed in Montgomery and Santa Rosa schools.

“We will closely monitor the results of these initiatives and collect feedback from students, staff and parents,” Morales said. “This data will be critical as we consider potential policy changes … across all of our schools.”

Carter made it clear in her statement Tuesday that districts should consider restricting cell phones, but asked that policies be carefully crafted and that safety and communication always be top of mind.

“Many campus safety plans or emergency procedures rely on students’ ability to quickly text information to their families in the event of an emergency at or near their school,” Carter wrote. “As they develop new cell phone policies, school leaders may need time to develop alternative safety protocols or tools to quickly notify families in the event of an emergency.”

Adriana Gutierrez, a member of the Report For America Corps, covers education and child protection issues for The Press Democrat. Reach her at [email protected].