MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis school board has decided to table a vote on a new cell phone policy for high school students that has generated concern — and pushback — from parents and teachers.
During a meeting on Tuesday, the board was expected to vote on the plan, which would have bucked national trends by requiring teachers and students to work together to develop rules for each classroom.
"The biggest change being proposed is listening to student voice," said board member Lori Norvell. "At a high school level, students and teachers would be required to work together to establish classroom level norms for any cell phone use during the classroom time."
While voting to delay the vote, board members said that it would give them more time to consider the concerns of parents and teachers.
For one parent and former MPS teacher, the discussion comes too late and remains too narrow.
"I love teaching. I love helping kids be inspired and think in ways they haven't had a chance to think before, but what I found over the years, and especially during the pandemic, is that the cell phones become just this point of contention," said Laura Kimball, who taught for seven years in two Minneapolis middle schools. "Unfortunately for me, it got to the point where I felt I just couldn't do my job."
Kimball announced that she is now leaving the district in a Start Tribune Op/Ed titled, I'm leaving Minneapolis schools over cellphone chaos.
Kent Erdahl: "Do you think other parents understand the level of cell phone use that's going on right now?"
Kimball: I don't think they understand how difficult it is to keep their children off the cell phones because the (middle school) policy says the cell phones are not out unless the teacher has given them permission."
Erdahl: "So what's the problem?"
Kimball: "The policies and the enforcement of the policies is where the disconnect is."
While at Anwatin Middle School prior to the pandemic, Kimball says there was no disconnect, thanks to a school-wide policy and enforcement.
"If cell phones were visible, they took them and then children would have to pick them up at the end of the day," she said. "And then if that happened more than once, then parents were called. That really made a difference."
But when she moved to Andersen United Middle School after the pandemic, she says rules were less clear, and students were more dependent on their devices.
"Students were told they get one warning then the cell phone can be confiscated," she said. "But if you then take and confiscate the cell phone that creates this power struggle, other kids might have been doing their work but now they're distracted.
It's just become something that is constantly pulling their attention away from their academics, and their ability to actually learn and process."
For months, an MPS student leadership board has argued that the best way of addressing the issue - at least in high school - requires student buy in.
"If the teachers set a phone rule, most likely, that phone rule will be followed by the majority if the teacher is willing to set that rule up," said Naf Makonnen, a student at Henry High School.
The proposal now before the board reflects that input, but Kimball is more than skeptical.
Erdahl: "Do you think that that's something that is attainable, or at least would get more buy in?"
Kimball: "I don't think that's attainable. I've talked to many friends who are high school teachers and when the policy changes from classroom to classroom, you lose academic time."
Laura is already moving on to a district with a school-wide approach... but she is anxious to see what awaits her children's teachers.
"It felt like me against the students, as opposed to us all being on the same team to learn what we needed to learn in class," she said.
Watch more Breaking The News:
Watch all of the latest stories from Breaking The News in our YouTube playlist: