Minneapolis school board to vote Tuesday on allowing for more flexibility for cellphones in class

Minneapolis students, parents and teachers will find out Tuesday if the first days back at school will include conversations about each classroom's cellphone policy.

The school board is set to vote Tuesday night on a revised "student personal electronic devices" policy that would allow teachers to set their own rules for each class, with the input of their students.

The proposed changes, drafted based on feedback from a board of high schoolers from across the city, were introduced to the board at a June meeting with little discussion.

Why change?

Student representatives from the city's high schools led the effort to update what they say is an outdated policy around "student personal electronic devices."

The group, called CityWide, meets twice monthly and collaborates with district leaders. The issue of cellphones in class came up repeatedly during the group's meetings, prompting the teens to propose changes that would better reflect what they say already works in their classrooms.

In a school board meeting at the end of last school year, CityWide members told the board that cellphones aren't always a distraction and they want to see teachers help students use technology as a learning tool.

Several other metro districts also leave specific cellphone policies up to individual teachers and school administrators.

Arguments against the plan:

Some parents have been pushing back against the potential changes, writing to board members and taking to social media platforms to voice their concerns. They worry about the role of smartphones in young people's lives and point to a recent measure in Texas that restricts the use of phones during class, as well as a United Nations report that raised concerns about the use of smartphones in schools worldwide.

Critics also wonder if codifying open-ended language will be confusing and hard to enforce for Minneapolis teachers and administrators.

What is the current student device policy in Minneapolis Public Schools?

Current policy allows high schoolers to use "personal electronic devices" before and after school, during lunch, passing periods and at times when the teacher permits use for "educational purposes only." Middle schoolers can use their device before and after school and during the school day when a teacher specifically permits it for learning or when a principal allows it for personal use.

Elementary students can have personal electronic devices with them only upon a parent's request and with the principal's permission. The device must be "kept out of sight and turned off" during the school day unless the student has teacher permission to use it for educational purposes or the principal's permission to use it for personal use.

What are the proposed changes?

Proposed changes include striking language that says having personal electronic devices is a "privilege, not a right" for students. The new rules would also eliminate sections listing consequences for policy violations, which include confiscating a student's device. Instead, the teacher would be responsible for outlining protocol and consequences would be determined according to other, more general student behavior guidelines.

The "purpose" section of the proposed policy states: "Appropriate guided use of these devices may enhance the educational experience and should be aligned with the academic goals of the classroom, social and emotional skills schools integrate into their climates and cultures."

The proposed policy strikes language about devices needing to be "out of site, holstered and turned off" unless being appropriately used for middle and high schoolers.

The new policy keeps language stating that it will be reviewed annually "to assure that use of personal electronic devices remains consistent with providing an appropriate educational environment for all students."

How can I attend/watch the board meeting?

The Minneapolis school board meets at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the John B. Davis Education Center at 1250 W. Broadway in Minneapolis. The meeting can be live-streamed at mps.eduvision.tv/LiveEvents.