by Bart Brewer NAMI Clackamas Newsletter Editor
Students attending North Clackamas schools will have a different learning experience as they come back to class this year. Starting this Fall, all middle and high school students in the district will be required to lock up their phones for the entire school day.
School board members voted for the policy change on June 20, electing to spend $300,000 on Yondr pouches — magnetically-sealed pouches to store phones in — for the district. The main driving force behind the decision is the mental health of students.
“Mental health was at the center of the discussions,” said Tiffany Shireman, Chief of Staff at North Clackamas. “We have a responsibility to make sure that we're doing everything we can to strengthen students' mental health in their school settings.”
Phones, and their ease of access to social media, have been the center of several mental health concerns in recent years. One 2020 study found that social media use in students lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression, with another 2022 study finding that it significantly affects academic performance.
“So 35% of kids tell us that they are negatively impacted by other kids using cellphones in class,” said Shireman, “and 52% of kids tell us that their own grades are negatively impacted by their own cell phone use. That’s startling to us.”
North Clackamas, as part of community outreach, conducted their own poll. It found that of the 805 high school students surveyed, nearly half felt that their mental health was negatively impacted by phone use.
The aim of the policy is not just to improve the mental health of students, but to also create a better learning environment where there is more peer-to-peer interaction.
“It is a large cultural change,” said Shireman. “What we have heard from other schools is that the students say they didn't know how school could be without a phone, because they've never experienced middle school and high school without a phone.”
Across the state, other school districts are considering similar phone policies. Oregon’s largest school district, Portland Public Schools, is outlining plans for a phone ban. Gov. Tina Kotek has expressed support for a statewide solution.
Administrators will be keeping a close eye out during the first 4-6 weeks of school, to see how students and teachers alike will adapt to the new pouches and if tweaks to the policy need to be made.
“I would say number one is concerns about individual unique circumstances; having access to insulin numbers on a phone, being able to play calming music for a student with anxiety,” said Shireman. “For some students, it's the first time they will be without a phone for multiple hours. And for some students that is itself a mental health stressor.”
If you or someone you know is or may be experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call 988 for help and advice. If you would like to attend a support group or a class or make an appointment with one of our Peer Support Specialists - all at no cost - check our web page at www.namicc.org.
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