Cell phone problem in Aspen schools will require ‘multi-pronged approach,’ superintendent says

Addressing excessive cell phone use in the Aspen School District will require multiple steps and communication with community stakeholders before any policy decisions are made, Superintendent Dave Baugh said in an April 17 Board of Education meeting.

The district has been grappling with smartphone use for months, and district leaders are looking for solutions to the problem that Baugh said can derail instruction time completely. In a survey the district conducted in December, which more than 1,170 people responded to, 89% of respondents said they believe cell phones distract students. Baugh discussed the survey results and how the district is considering curbing the problem during a March 7 town hall with parents, district staff, and students.

During the town hall, thoughts on smartphone policies were mixed as student representatives argued that cell phone use is not a problem and rather helps students learn, while some parents were in favor of a total ban.

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“It’s not so much about banning, it’s more about trying to create a safe space to be in the schools,” Baugh said during the school board meeting. 

There is no district-wide policy on cell phone use, which Baugh suggested the district reconsider when reviewing the schools’ policies. At Aspen High School, teachers often have students place their phones in pouches at the start of class. At Aspen elementary and middle schools, students are required to stow their phones in their lockers. But enforcement isn’t uniform and teachers have expressed fatigue from having to become enforcers rather than educators.

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And while Baugh said addressing the cell phone problem is not necessarily about a ban, he said he would ultimately be in favor of banning cell phones at the middle and high schools.

“I’m not a big banner, but if there’s one thing I would ban, I would ban cell phones from schools,” he said. “I think it makes a lot of sense, but I also think I understand the need to be thoughtful and deliberate in this process.”

The cell phone problem will ultimately require a “multi-pronged approach,” Baugh said, which includes reviewing current policies, reviewing discipline with students who use their phones, doubling down on an elementary school-led Wait Until 8th campaign as a district (which encourages parents to wait until eighth grade to give their students a smartphone), forming a task force of stakeholders, and launching a research experiment in the schools.

The district has considered encouraging the use of lite phones — cell phones that don’t have access to social media — as a way to address the problem. Social media is exacerbating a cyberbullying problem in the school district, which can affect students’ mental health, Baugh said.

Baugh has also expressed interest in using technology like Yondr pouches, which lock cell phones in a pouch that can only be unlocked by teachers and administrators. 

Some school board members were hesitant to enact any new policies before engaging with parents on the best solution.

“I really feel for the teachers, they are spending so much time redirecting kids on this, and I feel badly for our children because some kids, they really don’t care about whether or not their cell phone is out… but they’re in a classroom with kids who are always holding onto their cell phones and those kids are so distracting to everyone else,” said school board member Sarah Daniels. “I’m OK doing it over time to bring parents along, to bring students along, but I think it’s important for us to keep talking about it.”

School Board President Christa Gieszl said she supported addressing the issue, but didn’t agree with a total ban.

“The use of the word ban is not something I support, and the phone calls I have gotten around this largely are asking how to get around such a ban,” Gieszl said. “(The schools) have a problem right now with regulating cell phones. They could have a bigger problem with a ban because if you don’t have parents on board, and they’re coming to school with their fake phone in their pouch and their real phone in their other hand, this could get worse instead of better.”

“I’m fully in favor of going slow, involving the community, and really using caution with their words, and really having a clear plan for enforcement,” she added.

Baugh recommended convening a task force of students, teachers, and parents to discuss further ways to address the problem. He also recommended the board review current policies in the spring to address implementation and enforcement.