Oklahoma students, educators discuss school cellphone policies during visit with governor

BIXBY — For the past three months of school, Carter Storts found herself reaching for her cellphone only to come up empty.

Like all students in ninth grade and below at Bixby Public Schools, Carter isn’t allowed to access her cellphone for the entire school day. Carter, a ninth grader, said it was hard at first to adjust, but now she’s grateful for the rule.

“It helps my ability to focus and be able to focus on one task,” she said. “Also outside of school, like when I go home and spend time with my parents, I’m not on my phone as much because I don’t feel the need. I can focus on just being present.”

Her peers at the Bixby Ninth Grade Center gave similar feedback during a school visit Wednesday from Gov. Kevin Stitt and his education secretary, Nellie Tayloe Sanders. 

Stitt and Sanders visited students in Bixby and Jenks Public Schools to discuss their cellphone policies. Both districts recently tightened restrictions on mobile devices, as have other schools across the state. 

Stitt has encouraged more Oklahoma schools to find cost-neutral ways to limit student cellphone use.

“I don’t believe in the top-down approach from the government, and so I just put out an executive order to challenge our schools to say, ‘Hey, should we be cellphone free? Is it going to help with mental health? Is it going to help with distractions? Do we give teachers a better classroom environment?’” Stitt said during a roundtable discussion with Bixby teachers.

Sanders similarly expressed concern over whether cellphones generate more cyberbullying, addictive behaviors and mental health struggles for students. She and Stitt spent the school tours asking questions about the impact of a phone-free environment, especially whether students found it more liberating.

Bixby ninth grader Allison Freimuth said removing cellphones from her school has been a “good mind detox.” She said it cut down on drama, stress and distractions.

Teachers in the district said they enjoy the change, too. Students are more engaged in class and interact with each other during passing periods and lunch, they said.

Last year, Bixby students were allowed access to their phones in between class periods, and it was hard to refocus them once they were at their desks, Bixby Middle School teacher Simon MacFarlane said. A full-day ban on cellphones has “made all the difference,” he said.

“They’re not even checking their phones,” MacFarlane said during the roundtable discussion. “They don’t even think about it. It’s night and day for us.”

At Jenks High School, students are allowed to check their phone messages in between classes. Students said they’d like to keep it that way.

They said their cellphones help them stay in touch with their families, keep track of their schedules and coordinate carpools to extracurricular activities.

Jenks senior Addison Dodder said her cellphone was especially crucial during her sophomore year when her mother had been admitted to an intensive care unit. Her father kept her updated on her mother’s condition during the school day.

“I feel like for that kind of stuff it’s important to be able to have access to our phones at certain points, not necessarily so we can check Instagram or see who snapped us (on Snapchat), but just to have that important contact with our parents,” she said.

Jenks has long had rules on the books against classroom cellphone use, but enforcement had become lax in recent years, Superintendent Stacey Butterfield said. The district buckled down on its policies this year, hoping to eliminate distractions during class.

While other states have implemented blanket limitations on cellphones in schools, Butterfield said she appreciates the flexibility to tailor a policy unique to her district. But legislation on the issue would be welcome, she said.

A statewide school cellphone restriction is gaining interest in the Oklahoma Legislature. Lawmakers hosted two interim studies in recent months to discuss methods to limit students’ exposure to digital media, particularly during school hours.

“I think having some legislation could be helpful in just reinforcing what we’re trying to do for kids, building healthier kids, supporting healthier kids (and) fostering healthy growth in our kids,” Butterfield said. “I think at the same time, though, we’ve got to be careful that a one size does not fit all.”