As students in Sheboygan Falls return to the classroom, their cell phones can only go so far since the school district updated its policy.
The new policy prohibits using cellphones and earbuds during passing periods. This year, students have to keep cell phones in their lockers or a classroom caddy. The change applies to libraries, classrooms, and bathrooms.
High school students may use the devices before school, after school, or during lunch. Middle school students cannot use the items at lunch.
Superintendent Zach Pethan says families can still email students or contact the office to reach their child.
Watch: Sheboygan Falls High Schools begins updated cell phone policy, parents react
"School is a place to learn, and if there are things that are standing in the way, it's our job to make sure that we have rules and expectations for our students to make sure that they can follow those rules and be the best they can be," Pethan told TMJ4 News.
Libby Richardson favors the stricter policy as she raises her 16-year-old grandson.
"I don't think kids should have their phones in school. I think they're too addicted to their phones, and I think it controls their life," Richardson said.
"I think it's definitely fair," Tony Wiltzius stated.
Wiltzius has three daughters; two of them are in the district.
"I'm sure they want to keep them, but nobody likes change," Wiltzius added.
TMJ4 reached out to several school districts in Wisconsin about their cellphone policies.
West Bend and Brown Deer restrict cellphone use to passing periods and lunch for high schoolers.
In Cedarburg, cell phones must be out of sight unless a teacher allows them to learn.
"I think we have to trust that the schools and school boards make the right decisions to educate our children properly," Wiltzius said.
As of 2021, 76% of all public schools banned cell phones, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
More recently, a survey by the Pew Research Centerfound that 72 percent of high school teachers said cell phone distractions are a major problem in the classroom.
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