More than 1,300 Coeur d’Alene students, parents, and community members signed a petition this week after the school district announced a new procedure barring cellphone usage during school hours, including at lunch and during passing periods. 

Coeur d’Alene is the latest in more than 90 districts to implement a cell phone policy after Gov. Brad Little’s executive order, the Phone Free Learning Act, that he hoped would push children to give learning their full attention while in the classroom. As an incentive for districts, Little created a $5,000 grant program. By the Jan.15 deadline, 93 school districts had applied for the funds, according to the Idaho Department of Education. 

However, not many district’s policies are as stringent as Coeur d’Alene’s. 

The difference at Coeur d’Alene High is students cannot use their phones at lunch or between classes, while other districts in the state allow high schoolers to use their phones outside of instructional time.

“In classrooms makes a lot of sense to me because that’s where it can affect your focus,”  said Ryan Drappo, a junior at Coeur d’Alene High School who organized the petition. “During lunch and passing periods, it’s unreasonable to do that.”

Coeur d’Alene’s policy

Rumors of the impending cell phone ban flew around Coeur d’Alene High School in recent weeks, said Drappo, 16.

He heard from teachers and administrators that students would no longer be allowed to have phones during lunch and passing periods. Then on Wednesday, all classes were informed of the Personal Electronic Devices procedure. 

The new procedure was barely discussed at recent school board meetings, appearing as an information item in November, December and January. Unlike when a school board updates a policy, a procedure can be updated without a vote of the school board or public notice period. 

Administrators noted the policy but there was no discussion at any of the board meetings, save for Chair Rebecca Smith mentioning she had received an email about the procedure in early January. 

“Our goal is to encourage meaningful interactions for students and provide them with a necessary break from the constant digital distractions that can impact focus, relationships, and overall well-being,” Trent Derrick, executive director of secondary education said in a statement. “By limiting screen time, we are hoping to help students develop habits that support both their academic success and personal growth.”

Derrick said the district received positive feedback when similar procedures were implemented in the middle school earlier this year.

Students can bring personal electronic devices like phones and tablets onto school property with parent permission but they must be powered completely off during school hours, unless being used for a specific educational purpose with teacher permission. 

If a student is caught with a device, they may get a warning on the first offense, but after that the device will be confiscated and a parent or guardian is required to pick it up at the end of the school day. 

The consequences get more severe on subsequent offenses including detention, a required parent meeting, and losing the ability to have a device on school property at all. 

Students are also not allowed to record, take photos or videos of anyone on school property of “any student, staff member or other person in the school without express prior notice and explicit consent for the capture, recording, or transmission of such words or images,” the procedure says. The procedure also says students have no expectation of confidentiality when using devices on school property. 

After the presentation Wednesday, Drappo said he understands and agrees that phones should not be used during class but restricting use during student’s personal time is too far. 

In a statement, the district argued that research shows constant phone use, even outside of class, can make it harder for students to focus when they return to class. The district plans to have the new procedure in full effect by mid-February, however, district leaders said they are open to continued discussion with the community on the topic.

Drappo argued that students rely on their phones for communication about school pickup and drop off and other plans with their families and friends. 

“A lot of students rely on communication with their parents and friends to rely on rides and stuff,” Drappo said. “A lot of people don’t know where they’re going after school.” 

The district said in a statement that parents who need to contact their student during the school day can call the school’s office, where staff will ensure messages are relayed to students. The policy also encourages face-to-face interaction, which “fosters stronger friendships, better communication skills, and a more connected school community,” the statement read.

Drappo and his friends decided they wanted to do something about the policy. He posted a petition on Change.org Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday morning it had more than 1,000 signatures. 

In comments on the petition, students expressed frustration at the lack of input before the procedure was put into place, argued it would reduce student’s motivation to go to school, raised concerns about contacting their parents. 

“As a parent, I do not support cell phone bans in schools,” a parent named Troy wrote. “The primary reason my children have phones is for safety and security. I need to be able to get ahold of my children when necessary, and vice versa.” 

Another parent wrote lunch and passing periods are when she solidifies plans for after school and checks in on her son’s mental health. 

Drappo was thrilled to see so many signatures. 

“I love seeing the community come together, especially in the comments of the petition,” he said. 

Drappo and his friends aren’t done pushing for a change. They plan to attend the school board’s Feb. 10 meeting to deliver their petition.

Policies across the state

Other districts have implemented restrictions on cell phones that are in line with what Drappo and petitioners are asking for. 

In West Ada, students aren’t allowed to have cell phones during class, and must put them in phone vaults on classroom walls. Whether or not students can use devices during passing periods and lunch is up to individual schools, school leaders told KTVB this fall. 

Lake Pend Oreille School District trustees voted earlier this month to prohibit all students from using phones and other personal electronic devices during class, but allow high school students to use phones during passing periods and at lunch. 

Superintendent Becky Meyer said at that board meeting she was in favor of a total ban. Meyer discussed the proposal with student groups and administrators, who all opposed the total ban.

“I’m willing to pull back my recommendation… because the students and staff went the other way and I think we should go with what staff think,” Meyer said, at the December board meeting. 

Meyer said listening to that feedback was important to her, so she supported allowing phones at lunch but was open to a gradual transition to a no phone policy for the entire school day.

Legislators aren’t done with the issue, a bill introduced Monday would direct districts to implement policies governing electronic devices. 

The legislation would require that school districts adopt a policy emphasizing that “student use of electronic devices be as limited as possible…during school hours.” 

However, Sen. Treg Bernt, sponsor of the bill, emphasized there would still be local control over what those policies look like.