The Knoxville High School Building Leadership Team reported initial success with the new cell phone policy at the Knoxville School Board meeting on Monday.

This new policy banned cell phones and personal electronic devices during school hours for students, which was officially approved in January. Personal electronic devices means any device that is capable of electronically communicating, sending, receiving, storing, recording, reproducing and/or displaying information and data. This comes from a recommendation from the school’s SIAC committee. District administration hoped when implementing this policy that some benefits from the cell phone ban would include improved student focus and engagement, enhanced teacher-student interaction, increased opportunities for social interaction, and a reduction of distractions. 

Teachers at the high school reported Monday that even without tangible results from the policy change, the success is evident, especially during lunch time and the way students are better interacting with each other. The teachers say they can now hear increased conversations between peers during lunch time. School Business Manager Craig Mobley said it’s nice to see the students utilizing interpersonal skills that may have become lost because of cell phones.

“It’s hard to just show something on paper of the benefits of that cell phone policy, but it’s easy to come into the building and hear the difference. Especially during lunch period. The kids aren’t sitting on their phones and not talking to one another, there is a lot of talking going on and there is a lot of interaction so that’s the good thing. I think a big part of that in today’s society is we have lost that interpersonal skill of just being able to sit down and have a conversation with somebody.”

The Knoxville Community School District policy was created ahead of recently passed state legislation.