Phones Blamed for Failed Discipline Policies

"Trust Us", Says the State: "We’ll Handle Your Kids’ Behavior for You"

Distracted Kids

I’m old enough to remember the sticker book phase in school, where kids spent too much time trading stickers and admiring their collections instead of focusing on schoolwork. Kids can make anything into a toy, remember paper footballs, pencils suck in the classroom ceiling, and carved names in desks? I’ve even witnessed a kid take apart the class pencil sharpener and snort pencil shavings in the middle of high school Spanish class. From beepers to handheld games, there has always been some sort of childhood distraction. Schools have always dealt with annoying behaviors that tested patience and required self-discipline. The key difference between then and now is that schools, and parents, used to hold children accountable for their behavior. It’s time that we recognize that this issue is not a phone problem, it is a classroom management issue.

Self-discipline is one of the most important life skills and yet today, it’s more important for the governor and the legislature to ban the item of distraction than to re-think their position on ‘restorative justice’ and HIB (Harassment, Intimidation, and bullying) policies. We know that zero-tolerance policies do not work and yet we continue on a failing path without considering behavior modification as an alternative.

Blame it on the Juice

It’s naïve to blame phones for increased socialization and distractions when kids already have access to other devices in the classroom. By the time they were in 6th grade, kids I know had already figured out how to bypass restrictions. My daughter not only used a shared Google Doc to chat with friends during class but also set up a hotspot to bypass the school’s Wi-Fi restrictions. My nephew jailbroke his school Chromebook to install games, and my son managed to put Flappy Bird on his calculator. Phones are a valuable communication tool; the real problem lies in teaching accountability and enforcing meaningful consequences.

Blaming phones for bad behavior is like blaming alcohol for bad decisions—it’s not the device, but the lack of self-control and accountability that’s the real issue. Kids will always find ways to push boundaries, whether it’s using shared Google Docs to chat, jailbreaking Chromebooks for games, or hacking calculators for entertainment. The focus should be on fostering self-discipline and enforcing consequences, not scapegoating technology.

Parents Lose Their Lifeline to Their Kids—Is It Really Worth It?

Consider these scenarios that have happened in my family:

• You need to notify your child of last-minute transportation changes, but the school policy requires an hour’s notice to send messages.

• You want to remind your child to hand in an assignment that the teacher forgot to request yesterday.

• Your anxiety-ridden child needs reassurance through a text because the school office won’t allow them to call you in the middle of the day.

• Your child didn’t arrive home from the bus, and you need to figure out what happened.

• The bus breaks down, and your child has been sitting for an hour, but you need to pick them up because you have a doctor’s appointment.

• During a school lockdown, your child can text you to say everything is okay.

Activism, Invasions, and Unchecked Chaos

The reality is that New Jersey’s schools face a conflicted environment, requiring proof of bullying or harassment including sexual harassment and extreme classroom issues. Consider these real-life examples:

• Activists show up for a middle school assembly (Caldwell) and the kids text the parents to leave because they are uncomfortable with the inappropriate content.

• Cultural sexual trends masquerading as classwork. (Chatham)

• Sexual discussions in the classroom unrelated to school lessons. (Lenape)

• Evidence of close confinement as School Punishment. (Washington Township)

• Violence in the school. (Cherry Hill and North Hunterdon Voorhees)

• Non-school-approved invasive surveys are given to your child by the teacher. (Lacey, Caldwell, Voorhees, and North Hunterdon)

Medical Necessity

There are challenges for children who rely on medical devices linked to their phones to manage their health at school.

• Diabetic students use their phones to monitor their blood sugar levels and receive alerts about insulin needs.

• Students with hearing loss often use hearing aids that are controlled via phone.

• Children with severe allergies may use phone-linked EpiPen monitoring systems to track potential allergen exposure or receive reminders for medication.

• Students with epilepsy might have seizure detection devices that notify caregivers through their phones in case of an emergency.

Will all these parents now have to fight for a 504 plan to ensure their children can access necessary accommodations? Let’s be honest—schools are often resistant to providing the accommodations or modifications that students with disabilities require.

Undisclosed Location in Case of Emergency

Perhaps the most critical scenario is when the school needs to move your child to an undisclosed location during an emergency. In August 2011, The Office of School Preparedness and Emergency Planning established minimum requirements that designate primary and alternate evacuation locations. Best practice guidelines recommend moving children to an “undisclosed evacuation assembly location.” If your child is in an unknown location, wouldn’t you want to stay in communication with them for reassurance and updates?

Why Can’t the Teacher Handle It?

This all comes back to the way teachers are treated. If a teacher has a method for handling cell phones in their classroom, why can’t we just support it? Teachers are the professionals in the room, and they know what works best for their students. Some may use phones as a learning tool, while others prefer stricter rules to reduce distractions. Instead of imposing one-size-fits-all policies, why not trust teachers to manage phone use based on their unique classroom needs? Supporting teachers means giving them the autonomy to make decisions that best serve their students. But unfortunately, this means that the school administration has to back them up, something that schools haven’t done for a long time. This lack of support is at the heart of the student behavior crisis. We’ve reached a point where teachers have been rendered so ineffective that a law is now needed to support them—because their principals won’t.