Cell phone pouches required

With the 2024-25 school year set to start later this month, two new initiatives by the Clark County School District are receiving mixed reviews.

The first is that students in grades six through 12 will be required to place their cell phones in a school-supplied pouch during school hours. This will include Garrett Junior High and Boulder City High School.

In a news release from CCSD, it states the district is taking “an innovative approach to promote a healthy learning environment in the next school year.”

“This is a critical step as we work to ensure that students and educators are in a safe, non-disruptive space that fosters learning and provides students with the quality education they deserve,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell said in the release.

Students will place their phones in non-locking, signal-blocking pouches that will prevent cell phones and other devices from sending or receiving signals while inside the pouch.

BC principals on board

“In our increasingly digital world, it’s crucial that we find a balance between leveraging technology for educational purposes and minimizing distractions to create a safe and focused learning environment,” BCHS Principal Amy Wagner said. “By using these pouches, we aim to promote responsible device use, reduce distractions, and enhance the overall academic experience for our students.”

Wagner went on to say, “This initiative reflects our commitment to providing a high-quality education in a conducive learning environment. We appreciate the cooperation and support of our students, parents, and staff as we implement this new innovative solution for the benefit of our school community.”

Garrett Junior High Principal Melanie Teemant agreed with the new directive.

“As an educator, I personally believe the new cell phone pouch initiative is a positive step toward minimizing distractions and enhancing focus in the classroom,” she said. “It helps create a more productive learning environment while ensuring that devices are accessible in emergencies.”

In terms of feedback, Teemant said, “As we wrapped up the school year, students were already aware that the district would require pouches, but the detailed guidelines were only recently provided for schools to create their specific implementation plans. While a few parents had questions about how the initiative would be rolled out, we didn’t have the full details at that time. Now, we are working with the high school to develop a similar plan that prioritizes both learning and safety.”

She added that the students will keep the pouches all day and will be expected to place their phones in them once they enter a classroom.

Elementary schools will have the option to require the pouches. Martha King Principal Jason Schrock and Andrew Mitchell Elementary Principal Tracy Echeverria said this week that for now their schools will be opting out of the initiative.

Student pushback

According to a recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, this new initiative has faced pushback from families, most recently with an online petition drive that gathered 10,000 signatures in three days.

But the online petition, created by 14-year-old Charlize Leary, who plans to attend CCSD’s Nevada Learning Academy in the fall, criticizes the decision as one that threatens students’ safety and wastes the district’s money.

“If there, God forbid, would be an accident in school, like someone gained access inside, or there was just an emergency, like a fire or something like that, or an earthquake, parents would not have access to contact their kids without calling the office, which in an emergency would be possibly up to even 500 parents at the same time trying to get the office’s attention,” Leary told the Review-Journal.

Another CCSD requirement this year that had received far less pushback is that all middle/junior high and high school students will be required to wear ID badges while on campus during school hours. Teemant said teachers and staff will have to do the same and wear them at all times.

“This week, administrators attended meetings to review the daily protocols and requirements for ID badges,” she said.

Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Katie Futterman contributed to this story