Monday, February 6, 2017

CHS PRINCIPAL "FRUSTRATED" BY STUDENT CELL PHONE USE

From Columbia High School Principal Elizabeth Aaron last week:

Please continue to remind your students to put their phones off and away each day.  They are allowed to use them during lunch for data and are welcome to make calls when they are outside. They should not use them to call you from school during the day, and they should not have them out or in use in our hallways.

We ask that you continue to enforce this expectation at home. We are frustrated by the amount of time and effort school staff has to spend on management of cell phone use (and misuse) and encourage you to partner with us on in this effort. You might want to read and discuss the article attached here, “Letting Go: A Parent’s Challenge” to help find the sweet spot for your family as to how much is the right amount of engagement and direction for supporting your students as they navigate school in 2017 and beyond. This link to a recent article in the New York Times about 'curbing digital dependence' is also a good read to consider with your students. As the author writes, "Screens are stealing time that children and adolescents should be spending on physical activity and sports, reading, or creating and engaging directly with other children, all of which are critical to healthy physical and social development."

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