Lewiston School Committee bans cell phones in school for students through 8th grade

THE LEWISTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE VOTED TONIGHT TO BAN CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS FOR ALL STUDENTS THROUGH 8TH GRADE, AND TO LIMIT PHONES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. NEWS 8’S JAMES CORRIGAN IS LIVE IN LEWISTON, AND JAMES YOU WERE AT THE MEETING TONIGHT. WHAT WAS THE REASON BEHIND THIS BAN? WELL THE MAIN REASON CITED FOR THE BAN WAS TO TAKE AWAY ANY KIND OF DISTRACTION FOR STUDENTS. WE SPOKE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT BEFORE THE MEETING TODAY, WHO SAID THAT THE EASE IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN ENGAGE WITH THEIR DEVICES LIMITS THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN. 17;10;00;00 LANGLAIS WE’RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT FOCUS DURING THAT INSTRUCTIONAL WINDOW IS INSTRUCTION, AND TEACHING AND LEARNING LEWISTON SUPERINTENDENT JAKE LANGLAIS SAYS THAT ELIMINATING CELL PHONES FROM THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ELIMINATES A STRESSOR FOR THEM, SUCH AS IN SCENARIOS WHERE THEY ARE WAITING FOR A TEXT MESSAGE. 17;11;27;12 LANGLAIS THEY LIVE A LOT OF ANXIETY THEY MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE HAVE TO LIVE, BECAUSE THEY’RE EXPECTING THAT QUICK RETURNS AND WHETHER YOU GET IT OR DON’T IT CREATES THIS NEW SENSE OF ANGST. AND WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE MATH, THAT CAN GET REALLY HARD. THE ONLINE FEEDBACK FROM LEWISTON PARENTS AND TEACHERS MOSTLY SUPPORTED THE BAN, THOUGH SOME EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR HEALTH ISSUES, WHICH THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAS MADE AN EXCEPTION FOR. THERE WAS ALSO CONCERN ABOUT A RISE IN CONSTERNATION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WHO MAY BE SEEN IN A MORE ADVERSARIAL LIGHT BY TAKING A STUDENT’S CELL PHONE. 17;13;20;04 LANGLAIS IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE REMINDERS OF THE SPACE AND HOW WE’RE PROTECTING THE SPACE FOR LEARNING AND NOT MAKE IT A BATTLE OF TRYING TO TAKE PHONES AWAY FROM KIDS EVERY DAY. BUT REALLY THAT REMINDER AND THAT CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION PIECE, AND THEN REACHING OUT TO PARENTS IF IT CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY AGREED, CITING THE NEED TO CREATE BETTER HABITS IN STUDENTS TO HELP THEM IN THE FUTURE. 18;48;46;09 MEETING WE’RE RAISING A GENERATION OF DISTRACTED EMPLOYEES WHO STAND A FAR BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING HURT ON THE JOB, AND WHO ARE FAR LESS PRODUCTIVE. BECAUSE THEY JUST CANNOT GET AWAY FROM THAT CELL PHONE. NOW STUDENTS THROUGH 8TH GRADE WILL HAVE TO PUT THEIR PHONES IN A CONTAINER BEFORE SCHOOL. THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN STILL USE THEIR PHONES IN NON- LEARNING SETTINGS. PUNISHMENTS WILL INCLUDE CONFISCATION, PARENT CONFERENCES, AND SUSPENSIONS AN

Lewiston School Committee bans cell phones in school for students through 8th grade

Phones will be limited to outside of class for high school students.

Updated: 11:23 PM EDT Aug 29, 2022

The Lewiston School Committee voted unanimously on Monday to ban cell phones in school for students through 8th grade and to limit phones to outside of classrooms for high school students.Phones for pre-K to 8th grade students will have to be stored during the school day, with the exception of students where it is determined to be “essential for the student’s health, safety, or for educational purposes.”Discipline will vary from warnings to confiscation to parent conferences to suspensions or expulsions for more serious offenses. Superintendent Jake Langlais says that eliminating cell phones from the learning environment removes a stressor for students, such as in scenarios where they are waiting for a text message.”They live a lot of anxiety they might not otherwise have to live because they’re expecting that quick return, and whether you get it or don’t it creates this new sense of angst,” Langlais said. “And when you’re trying to focus on things like math, that can get really hard.”

LEWISTON, Maine —

The Lewiston School Committee voted unanimously on Monday to ban cell phones in school for students through 8th grade and to limit phones to outside of classrooms for high school students.

Phones for pre-K to 8th grade students will have to be stored during the school day, with the exception of students where it is determined to be “essential for the student’s health, safety, or for educational purposes.”

Discipline will vary from warnings to confiscation to parent conferences to suspensions or expulsions for more serious offenses.

Superintendent Jake Langlais says that eliminating cell phones from the learning environment removes a stressor for students, such as in scenarios where they are waiting for a text message.

“They live a lot of anxiety they might not otherwise have to live because they’re expecting that quick return, and whether you get it or don’t it creates this new sense of angst,” Langlais said. “And when you’re trying to focus on things like math, that can get really hard.”