By Crystal Hayduk
Students at Beach Middle School (BMS) are no longer permitted to use cell phones during the school day.
Bradley Dunn, the Chelsea School District (CSD) Board of Education’s student liaison, updated the board on the cell phone policy at their Nov. 4 meeting after learning about it from BMS Principal Matt Ceo.
In a follow-up communication after the meeting, Ceo said the cell phone policy in its initial form was implemented last year. Cell phones were not permitted in classrooms, but students could have them in their lockers to check during passing time between classes, or to use during their lunch break.
Ceo said, “The impetus for this change [at that time] was very simple: cell phones distracted students from their main purpose of being here, which is to learn.” Because every student has an iPad provided by the school, there is no educational use for cell phones, he said.
Upon initial implementation, Ceo received positive feedback from the community, in the form of emails and phone calls, which indicated the plan was on the correct course.
Since cell phones were removed from classrooms, media center circulation increased by 40% and English Language Arts test scores went up. “I think students are picking up books while they’re here rather than cell phones,” said Ceo.
Under the updated policy, cell phone use is now prohibited in the hallway or at lunch. Ceo said a large percentage of student discipline issues originate from the inappropriate use of social media platforms (Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, etc.), which sometimes also impacts the school day.
Ceo said the Washtenaw Area Council for Children recommends students not be given smartphones until eighth grade at the earliest. Most social media platforms require users to be at least 13 years old. “If a sixth grader has social media, it’s likely in violation of that company’s policy,” he said.
For more information about social media’s harmful effects on children, Ceo recommends reading The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
A videorecording of the school board meeting is available to view here. (As a reminder, only two school board meeting videos are kept on the district’s YouTube channel. When a meeting is added, the oldest meeting is deleted.)
In other board news:
Amanda Clor and Andrea Cole (née Franco) principal and assistant principal of Chelsea High School, introduced freshman Sylvia Dell, their school’s November Student of the Month.
Beach Middle School’s November Student of the Month, seventh grader Lucas Lanczki, was introduced by his principal, Matt Ceo, and assistant principal, Adam Schilt.
North Creek Principal Casey Westcott introduced his school’s October Student of the Month, Emma Donnelly. Her introduction was delayed because Westcott was not available to attend the meeting on Oct. 28.
The school district has several job openings in various departments and buildings. For more information or to apply, visit the CSD website.
Upcoming dates:
The next school board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the board room at the Washington Street Education Center.
There will be a school board work session at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 9.
