A conversation about discipline in Springfield Public Schools revealed school board members are interested in limiting students’ cellphone use.
While the Springfield Board of Education did not make any votes or decisions about the subject, board members talked about making cellphone use rules across the district’s more than 50 schools more consistent and more enforceable.
Cellphones were part of a larger discussion about student behavior during the board’s regular meeting May 21. While opinions differed about the scope of cellphone use among students being a problem, the school board discussed ways to add to what the district is already doing. In the future, the board may revisit whether to place a student code of conduct within board policies.
The discussion came up at the request of board member Maryam Mohammadkhani.
A growing trend of limiting cellphone use
The use of cellphones and other electronic communication devices during the school day is prohibited, according to the district’s student handbook. While a student may carry one, a student found with a cellphone powered on is subject to the school district’s discipline policies.
Springfield is not alone in restricting cellphone use among K-12 students. The topic has been researched by school districts and state legislatures across the United States. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 77% of U.S. schools prohibit students using cellphones in a non-academic manner. Florida in 2023 made such use a violation of state law.
Mohammadkhani said that SPS’ cellphone usage ban isn’t enforced effectively, and that leads to students never really disconnecting from their devices.
“I invite you to go and do your research, or just hang out with some kids,” Mohammadkhani said. “That phone has not left. Every time it buzzes, they can’t wait to get out of the class and all they are going to do between classes is hit so many social media sites and apps … the mental health drain is still there.”
Steve Makoski said that he learned from a teacher’s experience that students changed once cellphones became common among them. The teacher talked about how cellphones allowed students to give parents their side of a potential disciplinary dispute, change bullying into a 24/7 problem and share pornographic images indiscriminately.
Springfield school board members seek consistency
Makoski said mental health was a good reason for a school district to consider imposing more limits on cellphone use.
“More schools across the country are restricting students’ use of smartphones in classrooms over concerns about their academic, social-emotional and mental well-being,” Makoski said. “While a common motivation for schools to prohibit phone use has been to eliminate a source of distractions, another has been to help students’ mental health by reducing a source of stress and anxiety.”
Kelly Byrne said the only way to tackle this problem is through consistent enforcement.
“I know there can be a concern that it can be a lot of work for teachers and building administrators to enforce this,” Byrne said. “We understand they are going to be in lockers and bags. But if they are seen between bell to bell, I think the only way we correct the issue is to consistently enforce it.”
Board member Shurita Thomas-Tate said that while parents can insist that their children carry cellphones for emergency use and for safety, she agrees about consistency.
“I’m not opposed to the policies we have in place,” Thomas-Tate said. “I do think there needs to be some consistency, and I think that our superintendent has been working with our administration, who has been working with building administrators and teachers to shore up those policies.”
Board member Judy Brunner noted that the district’s current rules for cellphones seemed appropriate, and that a student disobeying those rules is discipline-worthy.
“If I’m a classroom teacher and I tell kids to put away their cellphones, and some don’t … that’s defiance of authority,” Brunner said. “I’m an adult in the school, I’ve made a reasonable request, you’re not doing what I asked you to do. We have things in the handbook to support the teachers out there.”
Further work into discipline
Tuesday’s discussion was a follow-up from a meeting on April 30, where the board was given an update on the first year of a 15-step plan to address student discipline.
In that meeting, the board heard from principals and teachers who say that the discipline plan is making a difference — especially the implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system. Springfield Public Schools is nearing the end of a transformational year, where the rollout of that plan has been under a microscope by the community.
During the discussion, board members showed support for the work being done by Superintendent Grenita Lathan and her staff in working to reduce severe behavioral issues among students. They also agreed that student behavior has become more of a problem over the last few years, and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The school board members differed about what could be done to bolster discipline, and whether the district was doing enough.
Byrne asked for a renewed focus, given the board’s efforts toward the problem over the last few years. He noted that behavior was a problem pointed out many times during a recent climate culture survey of teachers.
“I think as leaders in this position, as we have sat and watched the issue continue to persist for years, if we are going to be leaders we need to lead,” Byrne said. “It’s been made clear to us from the community and teachers that this is an issue.”
Thomas-Tate said that progress is being made, pointing to the April 30 meeting’s report. She said that the schools having success have buy-in from principals and teachers, and that’s the direction any future changes should take.
“I do agree that policies are important, and if this board can come up with some policies that can assist and not handcuff our superintendent, then I am supportive,” Thomas-Tate said. “I want to continue to acknowledge (success stories) and use those as templates for what can happen at our other schools.”
Board President Danielle Kincaid said despite disagreements over specifics, board members were largely on the same page.
“We are all acknowledging that there is room for improvement,” Kincaid said. “We are not sitting here to status quo and saying that we have done all we can do, let’s just let it go. Our district is not doing that, and I haven’t heard any board members say let’s just leave things the way that they are.”
Adjustment to board policy possible
Mohammadkhani said she hoped that the board could add student discipline into the board’s policies. The board considered such an addition during a March study session, but the policy did not come up for a vote.
“Our legal counsel prefers that our scope and sequence, aka the student handbook, remain an administrative function,” Mohammadkhani said. “It troubles me that we are the only board regionally that has not adopted the Missouri School Boards Association’s recommended discipline policy, and its iterations throughout the years.”
At the end of discussion, Kincaid requested to see the research that Mohammadkhani had done about the policy.
Next steps for PBIS in Springfield
While Tuesday’s board discussion dealt with additional steps, the district already has plans in the works, according to its strategic plan.
Crystal Magers, executive director of academics, outlined how teachers will receive additional training on PBIS during a presentation about professional development.
The strategic plan also calls for a behavior update to be presented to the board. Stephen Hall, chief communications officer for SPS, said a schedule for those presentations is under development, but it should be unveiled sometime over the summer.
