Willapa Valley Electronics Procedures Are Changing

Willapa Valley is joining other school districts to limit student access to devices in an effort to increase student focus on learning.

 For the 2024-25 school year, Willapa Valley Schools will fully enforce its electronics use policy by implementing new procedures. The existing policy, which has been in place at the middle and high school for over ten years, prohibits students from using cell phones during class. According to Superintendent Nancy Morris, teachers previously had the discretion to enforce this policy in ways that suited their classrooms. However, both teachers and administrators found that these varied methods failed to effectively reduce phone use during instructional time. Over the past several years, electronic devices, including smartwatches and earbuds, have increasingly disrupted learning.

 Starting in the fall, middle & high school students will not be allowed to have cell phones, smartwatches, or wireless earbuds on their person or in their backpacks during class times. Devices must be left in lockers (which will then require locks), or placed in classroom pocket hangers, or not brought to school at all. Students will not be permitted to store devices in their pockets or backpacks during class at the middle-high school. Violations of this policy will result in detention, which will affect participation in extracurricular activities, confiscation of the device for storage in the school office, and a requirement for parents to pick up the device at the end of the school day.

 Middle & high school students will still be allowed to use their devices during breaks and lunchtime. Mrs. Morris explains, “We considered completely banning cell phone use during the day, as other districts have done, but we recognize that our students have family responsibilities, jobs, and sports commitments, and sometimes need to communicate during the day.”

 Staff will also be prohibited from using cell phones during class times unless for school business but will be allowed to use them during breaks and lunch.  We know this will be an adjustment for students and parents, but communication can still happen several times though the day--just not during class times.

 Mrs. Morris recommends that parents explore the issue themselves. Several articles and video clips on this issue are available on the Willapa Valley district webpage at www.willapavalley.org under the "News" section. She also encourages parents, especially those with young children, to read Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation, which explores the broader effects of electronics and social media on children and teens.

Electronic Device Storage Options