SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Sierra Vista Unified School District has had a no cell phone usage policy for many years, but a new state law allowed them to revisit how they enforce the policy.
"It’s actually more helpful to us to have something in place across our entire state, supporting what we've been trying to do here in Sierra Vista for many years,” said Interim Superintendent Terri Romo.
One of the changes includes how middle school students are only allowed to use their phones before the first bell and after school.
"What we were finding was just lots of parents are starting to text their kids during class,"Romo said. "It's disruptive to the whole class,”
High school students will be allowed to use their phones before school, during lunch, and after school. That's a change from last year, when each teacher had their own rules, deciding if and when students could use their phones.
"Our preference is not to have to take them away," said Buena High School Principal Nicole Young. "We want students to be able to have them and have them appropriately out when it's okay.”
She says grades are affected when students are distracted.
"We know that when students are engaged in class, when they're active learners, that they learn better and they get better grades. They do better on tests. They will outperform their peers who are more distracted," Young said. "So we're hoping that by making this class wide, that every student will be able to be engaged, to be part of our learning process.”
There are exceptions to the rule for medical needs or in school-wide emergencies. Parents can contact the school if they need to get in contact with their student.
“We see that there can be a benefit from this, and we're ready to support it, and have,” Romo said. “I think it's really the time and place [for] all of us to stop and really focus. It's time to put our cell phones down, our technology down, and really learn how to talk to one another.”
School starts on Wednesday, and the administrators are excited and hopeful for support through this change.
"We're just hoping that we'll have a lot of students and parents really support this and see the good things that are coming out of it,” Young said.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
