Education
BY HALEY VELASCO
PISD revamps cellphone policy, FISD considers more restrictive policy
What else?
Lance Cain, managing attorney for the Associa- tion of Texas Professional Educators, or ATPE, said while teachers haven’t filed any claims with ATPE in regard to cellphone policies or misconduct, he said he believes cellphones in the classroom have become more difficult for teachers to navigate. A November 2023 study from Pew Research Center showed the percentage of teachers from all grade levels nationwide who found cellphone policies hard to enforce.
Friendswood ISD and Pearland ISD have had similar cellphone policies for several years, but PISD recently tweaked its policy and FISD is considering a stricter one, officials with each districts said. For both FISD and PISD, cellphone use is prohibited during the instructional day unless they’re permitted to use by the teacher, officials said. Kim Cole, FISD’s assistant superintendent of secondary teaching and learning, said the district is focusing on strict enforcement of its cellphone policy this school year. Other practices include staff surveys and visiting different Texas districts to see other policies in action. Currently, cellphones are confiscated about three to five times a week at FISD, Cole said. “We have focused on consistent implementation this school year,” Cole said. “We have done this with increased student and parent communication regarding the purpose of the policy, creating a campus culture that values instructional time with staff and students, and administrative focus on cellphone distractions during classroom walkthroughs.” For PISD, officials updated the cellphone policy this year to a three-time system in which the third time a cellphone is confiscated, a $15 fine is required to get the phone back, according to the 2024-25 PISD student handbook. Deputy Superintendent Kelly Holt said this has resulted in less phone being confiscated this school year.
Friendswood ISD and Pearland ISD do not allow cellphones to be used during the instructional day, unless permitted by a teacher.
Friendswood ISD’s 2024-25 cellphone policy
Once a cellphone is confiscated, the teacher will turn the phone into the school principal’s office. The principal will determine whether to: • Return it to the student at the end of the school day • Contact the student’s parents to pick up the device at the end of the day
Elementary school
12%
Middle school
30%
High school
60%
All grades who have a cellphone policy
30%
Pearland ISD’s 2024-25 cellphone policy
SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTER/COMMUNITY IMPACT
PISD uses a three-time system, in which the following consequences occur after the number of times a student gets their phone confiscated: The cellphone is taken to the front office by the teacher, and the student is allowed to pick it up at the end of the day. 1st confiscation The cellphone is taken to the front office by the teacher, and the student’s parent is required to pick it up at the end of the day. The cellphone is taken to the front office by the teacher, and the student’s parent is required to pick it up and pay a $15 fine. 3rd confiscation 2nd confiscation
What’s next
While PISD is not currently changing its cellphone policy, FISD is reviewing its policy to see if the district will need to be more restrictive, Cole said. Cole said FISD conducted a staff survey in September and will have another survey in December looking at how consistently the policy is implemented and if there are any barriers within it. “We are gathering data on the effectiveness of the implementation of our current policy [through] our administrative classroom walkthroughs,” Cole said.
SOURCES: FRIENDSWOOD ISD, PEARLAND ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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