Teachers all over the country are struggling to keep students focused and engaged, and not on their cell phones. But some schools in Connecticut have found a way to lock out the distraction.
Bruno Mars, Chris Rock and Manchester’s Illing Middle School.
Those three things don’t have much in common, but they share something: a policy on cellphones.
Since December, Illing Middle School has been telling students to put their cell phones into pouches with magnetic locks.
The phones stay in the pouches until the end of the day, when the school provides magnets to allow students to unlock them.
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“The whole point is to just not have students using their cellphones during the school day,” school Principal Idelisa Torres said.
The school welcomed in Gov. Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong and Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker Tuesday to share students’ and teachers’ experience.
Students admit they were skeptical when school officials began looking at the idea in the fall.
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“I kind of didn’t want to do it because I was thinking more about the emergencies,” seventh-grader Liaam Bouthillier said.
Students even started a petition in hopes of stopping the policy. Since it’s been in place, though, they’ve seen improvements in their classmates.
“They’re more socialized and there’s less distraction in class,” seventh-grader Nabliah Abah said.
Manchester school officials sought input from Weaver High School in Hartford, which also uses the pouches.
Students get to keep the bags with them all day. The school puts magnets on the wall at the end of the day, allowing students to quickly unlock the pouches as they leave.
Lamont said his Education Department is working on guidance encouraging other school districts to consider the policy.
“I think these phones can really be incredibly distracting in the classroom and schools,” he told students.
Manchester spent roughly $30,000 to buy the pouches for its seventh and eighth grades.
Despite the results, Superintendent Matthew Geary said he’s not sure the district will expand the policy to other grades.
He said cellphone use is far less common among younger students, and high school students may have legitimate reasons for having easy access to their phones.
“High school kids are a little different, especially older high school kids have jobs,” Geary said.
