Rutland High School solidifies formal policy, Woodstock High School considers bell-to-bell ban
Staff report
There’s a growing movement across the county for schools, particularly high schools, to go phone free. The issue of cellphone distraction is universal and problematic in a classroom setting. While the problem is not a new, formulating a campus-wide policy restricting use is.
State lawmakers debated a bill last session (S.284) on limiting phones in schools, but ultimately let it die on the Senate floor, opting instead to allow schools to shape their own policies.
That debate furthered the conversation in many area school districts, which were now tasked with creating unique policy for their school community. Some are tackling the issue district-wide, others school-by-school. Some will be enacting new policies starting the first day of school; others haven’t quite finalized a plan but aim to this fall.
Rutland High School has issued a formal policy on the matter that will take place the first day of school — though it’s not a complete ban.
RHS Principal Greg Schillinger wrote an email Aug. 16 to students and families outlining the new policy. While students will be allowed to bring their devices to school, they are expected to put them away during class time, he explained. Adding that that practice isn’t new, it’s just been formalized into a school-wide policy.
The policy is outlined in the 2024-2025 student handbook. It reads:
“At Rutland High School, we recognize that the healthy use of tools such as electronic devices is a learned skill, and that a healthy and effective learning environment requires that learners are fully present and attentive to the learning process. To that end, students are to put all cell phones, earbuds, and other electronic devices and accessories away when in class. These devices must be inaccessible and silent during these times. If a student is found to be using an electronic device during class time, they will be required to leave their phone in the attendance office for the remainder of the school day. Subsequent incidents will result in the need to leave their phone in the office for a period of 20 days or the remainder of the semester, or at least 40 days.”
The policy is intended to help keep students focused and engaged in the learning process.
While use is prohibited during class time, students at RHS can keep them with them and used them between classes or on break periods in the lobby, hallways and cafeteria, in a manner that “respects the rights of others.”
In Vermont, Thetford Academy 7-12, Harwood 7-12, Hartford Memorial Middle and all of the Lamoille South Supervisory Union (which operates seven schools between Morristown and Stowe) will begin this school year as 100% phone-free schools.
At Harwood students are required to store their personal devices in a locking pouch in their lockers. They will lock away their devices in front of a designated staff member each day and unlock the pouches at several unlocking stations when school is out.
Students within Lamoille South Supervisory Union will be required to leave their devices at home or stash them in their lockers for the duration of the school day.
At Woodstock Middle/High School the topic of “phone-free schools” was introduced by Sarit Werner during public comment session at the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) board meeting Aug. 5.
Reception of the idea among meeting attendees was generally positive.
Werner, who is creative director at Plymouth Cheese Co. in Plymouth, read a letter from the Phone-Free Coalition of Parents bearing more than 120 signatures.
The “letter of support for Woodstock Middle and High School to be fully phone-free all day” read in part: “It’s abundantly clear that bell-to-bell mobile phone-free school environments will make huge strides to create a positive environment where the health of students is prioritized. The presence of mobile phones, earbuds and smartwatches distracts from learning and also interrupts opportunities for students to learn healthy interaction with each other.”
The devices would be locked up in the administration office until the end of the school day, when they would be returned to their owners.
While a phone-free program won’t launch by the first day of school, the parents group hopes to formalize it in the fall.
To read the MVSU letter in full, visit: Tinyurl.com/MVSUPhoneFree.
