• 2024 - 2025 School Year Cell Phone Policy

     

    Cell phone usage in schools has become a major concern nationwide affecting mental health and academic progress in the classroom environment, and Tech Campus is no exception. We recognize the negative impact that student cell phone usage in the classroom can have on student achievement, engagement, and well-being—extending far beyond the classroom setting. Research has shown that cell phone usage during instructional time disrupts the learning process, diminishes the quality of classroom social interactions, impedes student focus, and results in missed instruction. Employers also indicate that there is a negative impact on performance in relation to students and recent graduates’ cell phone use in a variety of work environments.

     

    The Tech Campus administration is making important updates to our cell phone practices in order to be proactive and consistent across all classrooms. Starting in Fall 2024, all Tech Campus classrooms will be equipped with a phone storage unit where students will be expected to store their cell phones during class time.

     

    Our plan is to limit access to cell phones during class time in order to eliminate its disruption in the learning process and to ensure that students are fully present not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. To this end, the research shows that physical separation from the phone in the classroom setting is best for students.

     

    Questions?

    Adjusting to this new practice may feel challenging for some students and parents/guardians, and we know you may have questions. We invite you to do the following:

    • Review and talk about research on cell phone harm as a family.
    • Review our Frequently Asked Questions:


    FAQ

    Is this a cell phone ban?

    No, this is not a cell phone ban; it is a limit to access phones and headphones/earbuds during instructional time.

     

    How can students and parents/guardians stay in touch during the school day?

    Students and parents/guardians can use cell phones to stay in touch during student travel time between Tech Campus and their home school.

     

    What if a student becomes sick while at Tech Campus?

    If your child becomes sick while in class, they should tell their teacher and request to see the school nurse. They will be allowed to retrieve their phones and will be sent to the Nurses’ Office.  

     

    What if a student or parent has an urgent situation and needs to be in touch with each other?

    In case of emergencies or urgent situations during class time, parents/guardians should call the front office staff at (847) 543-6019 or (847) 543-6006. If a student needs to contact their parents/guardians during class time, they should let their teacher know. The teacher will assist them in accessing a phone or making contact.

     

    How do we know our students are safe if there is a school-wide safety concern, such as a lockdown?

    Rest assured that our staff are prepared to handle emergencies and will prioritize your safety above all else. Our school has procedures in place to address emergency situations effectively, regardless of cell phone access. Our staff are trained to respond quickly and appropriately to any emergency that may arise, and we have systems in place to communicate with emergency services and notify parents or guardians as needed.


    In the event that Tech Campus has a lockdown, soft lockdown, hold-in-place, shelter-in-place, or evacuation it is important for students to follow specific instructions as outlined in our Crisis Plan available in each room of Tech Campus ; students will have access to their cell phones if it is determined to be the safest, necessary and appropriate action.

     

    What are the consequences for phone usage with this new practice?

    Our Student Behavior Code within our student handbook will indicate that if a student is noncompliant with cell phone or headphones/earbuds expectations, including storage unit use for cell phones, the teacher will give a verbal reminder of the expectation and potential consequences for continued noncompliance. If there is a second incident of noncompliance with cell phones or headphones/earbuds, the teacher will contact the parents/guardians, and if there is a third incident of noncompliance the student will be sent to the administrative office.

     

    Should I be worried about my child’s cell phone getting stolen?

    Many Tech Campus teachers have utilized cell phone storage units in class for years at Tech Campus with no stolen cell phones. Our processes will continue cell phone theft prevention while in cell phone storage units, including the location of storage units, a quick retrieval process at the end of class, and the notation of which pocket a student’s cell phone is assigned to.

     

    How will my student do class work without a cell phone?

    Tech Campus provides each student a Chromebook for use during instructional time. All assigned school work can be completed on these devices during the assigned class time. If work needs to be completed outside of Tech Campus time, students may use their home school provided device to access Schoology.

     

    Thank you for your partnership as we hold student wellbeing and student learning at the center of all that we do as students, parents/guardians, and as educators. We will provide additional information as part of the updated Student Handbook for 2024-2025 which is accessible via the website at https://www.techcampus.org.

     

    Take care and best wishes for a great 2024-2025 school year!