By Joseph D'Alessandro
Students, teachers and parents began discussing the implementation of new smartphone policies in Uniondale schools at the first Cell Phone Task Force meeting at Uniondale High School on March 12. Alison Chaplar, the district’s technology specialist, works with elementary teachers and students throughout the district to incorporate electronics into education. She is a co-chair of the task force, and says she wants to make sure technology adds to the school experience, not takes away from it. “The importance of being in school is the education — that’s what we’re there for,” Chaplar said. New York State United Teachers, a statewide teacher’s union, initially met March 5 to discuss students’ use of smartphones during school hours. A number of panels of educators discussed problems associated with phones. “Our first meeting was really introductory, exploring our usage with cell phones,” Chaplar said. “Yes, it is a tool and it has its purpose, but it can also be a trap.” The problem with smartphones in class Smartphones are a common source of distraction — texting, social media, and mobile games often draw students’ attention away from lessons. Social media also opens the door to cyberbullying. “We noticed that there were not only a lot of distractions when it came to the students being on their cellphones,” Lawrence Road Middle School Principal Mark McCaw said. “Sometimes you see a lack of focus, trading inappropriate things. Whether it be messages or other images that might be inappropriate, you’ll see instances of bullying.” On the flipside, phones also provide a vital lifeline for students and parents to communicate when they need to.
“I can also speak as a parent,” Chaplar said. “When my home school district incorporated acellphone policy, I was also concerned: How am I going to get in touch with my child?”
Finding a balance The strategy used at Lawrence Road is to encourage an “unplugged culture,” McCaw said, in which teachers and students alike are allowed to keep their phones, but can’t have them out or in use during school hours. “We want to build a culture of communication, and we want students to stay focused on instruction and stuff going on in the classroom,” McCaw said. “The teachers have given some feedback that it’s been almost like a game-changer, that kids are paying attention in the classroom.” The “unplugged” plan allows phone use for emergencies and parental contact. Putting phones away should not impede learning. Students at Lawrence Road have access to school-issued iPads, for distraction-free research and classwork.
“We’re not saying electronics shouldn’t be something that’s allowed in school — just a school-issued electronic device, so students can focus on academics versus socializing with their personal device,” McCaw said. “We’re still very early on in setting a definition on what the phone policy will be,” Chaplar explained.
“Our meeting that we had this past week was to gather ourselves and just kind of set a vision forwhat we think we would all like to see in the future.” Reece Rene, a senior at Uniondale High, is the student representative to the Board of Education and the second co-chair leading the Cell Phone Task Force. Rene and Chaplar work together to find solutions agreeable to both teachers and students.
“We’re just trying to grab the entire community to make sure this is an effective phone policy,”
Rene said. “We want to make sure that this is a community effort, that everybody is working together to create something that works for the entire district. “I really do want to see Uniondale be a better place, a better community, a better school district for the future,” he added. “I believe that having certain boundaries and restrictions will help create the better image of a Uniondale scholar and keep everybody on the same path.”
The next Cell Phone Task Force meeting was scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the high school, after the Herald went to press.
