SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — With Wisconsin kids back in class, school districts around the state are reminding students when it is appropriate — and not appropriate — to use cellphones on campus.
Some school districts, such as Waunakee Community School District, are enforcing harsher penalties this year. For instance, Waunakee students could face Saturday detention for violations of the cellphone-use policy. But others are taking a different approach.
John Lareau, an English teacher at South Milwaukee High School, has a message written on his whiteboard for his students: “Phones in caddies. The expectation is the expectation.”
Lareau said he wants to make it clear early on in the school year that cellphones are not allowed in class.
“The expectation isn’t, ‘Hey, is it okay if I keep mine in my backpack or keep mine out of sight, out of mind,’” Lareau said. “The expectation is the expectation. Period. End of story.”
Wednesday was only the second day of school at South Milwaukee High School, but Lareau said he has already had to remind students to put their phones away.
“Adults and kids do tend to kind of look for the gray areas, the wriggle room, so it is a problem, but I believe it’s one we have a moral imperative to address,” Lareau said.
Lareau said he hopes his students will quickly learn to not use their cellphones in class.
“You can build a habit in about a month, if you put forth consistent effort. So right now, you don’t want to put your phone away, ‘cause it seems like a weird thing, but we won’t be having this conversation by October 1st,” Lareau said. “It will just be a habit like putting on your shoes and socks.”
Deidre Roemer is the Superintendent of the School District of South Milwaukee.
She said students may use their cellphones at lunch and in the hallway between classes, but must have them in a caddy in class. Roemer said, if needed, parents can use email or reach out to their child’s school to connect with their kids.
Roemer said there are consequences for violations of the cellphone policy. For a first violation, students will be let off with a warning. For a second offense, the teacher will confiscate the student’s phone and return it after class. For a third violation, parents must meet with the school district.
“What is it that the child is feeling that they need that cellphone with them at school? And what are some supports, some strategies that we can put in place to make sure that they have what they need when they are here in school?” Roemer said.
Judy Cohen is the owner and academic coach at Lakeside Educational Services in Milwaukee.
She said cellphones can be detrimental for students’ performances in school.
“Cellphones are creating academic drop, because kids can’t do both,” Cohen said. “They are not cognitively developed to say, ‘OK, I’m not going to let this TikTok video impact my reading of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ They can’t do that. Let’s take that away.’”