VVMS Personal Electronic Devices/Cell Phone Use FAQs

The school day is when students need to be able to focus, learn, interact with each other, build in-person community and engage with teachers. Data shows that having a cell phone decreases student academic achievement. A phone and social media-free school give students opportunities for social, emotional, and academic development. Also, many of our student-to-student discipline issues stem from phone use during the day.

• Cell phones- including phones that connect to the internet and non-internet connected phones that send and receive text messages and make phone calls.
• Personal electronic devices such as electronic tablets and video games.
• Air pods, ear buds, and Bluetooth connected headphones.
• Smartwatches and fitness trackers that connect to the internet.

School security experts say phones can make children less safe in crisis situations for the following reasons:

• Student use of cell phones during an unfolding emergency can distract their attention from safety and emergency response directions being given by school staff.
• Cell phone use by students can hamper rumor control and, in doing so, disrupt and delay effective public safety personnel response.
• Cell phone use by students can impede public safety response by accelerating parental and community arrival at the scene of an emergency during times when officials may be attempting to evacuate students to another site.
• Victims and worried family members trying to get through can jam communications, interfering with first responders.

In the event of an emergency, parents will be updated using ParentSquare communication system. Please make sure you contact information is current and that you have not opted out of messages.

Parents/guardians who need to contact their student during the school day and/or change the pick-up time of your child, may do so my calling the main office at 360-563-4227.

Contacting your child via their cell phone during the day distracts them from their studies and the needed in-person interaction with their teachers and peers. By having 24/7 access, we prevent growth opportunities that our children need educationally, socially, and developmentally. If students text their parents every time they have a question, they miss the opportunity to think for themselves and develop problem solving skills.

If the student needs to contact their parent/guardian during the school day, a phone is available in the main office.

Children need consistency, and one policy for the entire school benefits all students. Teachers benefit by regaining classroom instructional time instead of having to police phones, as monitoring phones takes time and energy away from teaching and supporting students. When there is a consistently enforced building-wide policy in place, students are more likely to follow the policy.

Students need to be given independence from their parents/guardians during the school day to develop foundational skills. Constant contact can fuel a cycle of anxiety for both students and parents. Research shows encouraging independence fosters a child's self-confidence, resilience, problem-solving ability, and mental health. Gradual release is developmentally normal and is part of the educational process.

A school shall require documentation from a licensed medical professional to support an exemption such as diabetes or seizure monitoring. This exemption is specific to the need only and still prohibits cell phone use for any other purposes. 

Please contact the health room at 360-563-4237 with any questions or concerns.

It is extremely rare for a cell phone to be required for an IEP/504 plan. If a situation arises, documentation is required, and the exception is specific to support the student to gain access on par with their peers only and still prohibits cell phone use for any other purposes. 

Please see your case manager with any questions.

Social media tends to foster fewer social interactions leading to greater levels of anxiety, loneliness, and depression. In-person socializing forms far stronger connections and supports the development of healthier social and emotional skills. We will provide social and emotional support to students, including embedded social/emotional skill instruction and development.

Even for students who use social media for connection and activism, it is still a distraction during school hours. As a school community, we work hard to foster a culture of inclusion. Our goal is to limit use during the school day to minimize disruption and mitigate the potential harms of social media dependency. 

Brain science research and expert psychiatrists say the adolescent brain is not able to manage the addictive pull of cell phones and social media. The social media platforms and games that young people spend much time on are deliberately designed to be addictive. Additionally, part of teaching responsible use is creating phone-free zones that help students understand that phones are a tool to be used at specific times in specific ways, rather than being something that is on and used 24/7.