Gering Middle School has joined a growing list of school facilities across the country that are banning the use of personal electronic devices during the school day.
Under the new policy that started this school year, all such items, including, cell phones, smartwatches and ear buds, must be in backpacks or lockers out of sight from 7:40 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
Principal John Wiedeman tells KNEB News as a ‘for kids’ school, one of the best things GMS could do was to get kids to interact with each other. “There’s a lot of research and a lot of obvious concerns with the amount of social media, electronic use by students and the correlation with self-esteem, thought processes about themselves, self-confidence. You know, you can go into the cyberbullying side of things,” said Wiedeman.
Teachers and staff are expected to model the new protocols, and the kids know what to expect because the rules help eliminate any variance of policy application according to Wiedeman.
“We know that kids know one teacher may say this and another teacher may say that, and our goal is really to eliminate those loopholes and gray areas so that our teachers can be consistent. We can say the same things, and students know what the expectation is,” said Wiedeman. “It’s cut and dry. We kind of drew a line in the sand and we thought that would help students and staff be able to be on the same page with expectations.”
Wiedeman says this year’s 6th graders were already used to the policy, as it’s the same that’s been in place at the elementary schools, so the change wasn’t a shock for them at all. You might think some 7th or 8th graders would revolt because of the change, but more than a month into the new protocol, Wiedeman tells us that’s just not the case.
“There have been reports even by students themselves about, ‘Man, I didn’t think I would like this, but, it’s been really nice to play catch at recess, or to talk to my friends’. Had some 8th graders even mentioned that ‘We’ve been here three years, and we’re actually talking to each other again…. not on social media, but face to face.’ So that to me, is what it’s all about.”
Wiedeman tells us teachers have also raved about nearly universal improvement in student attention spans when they’re in the classroom.
Students who violate the new policy will have their phone or other devices confiscated, to be released only to their parent or guardian at the end of the school day. Accommodations are made for those students needing such technology for medical assistance or an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
