Fayetteville Schools Revise Phone-Free Plan After Successful Rollout
Fayetteville, Arkansas – The Fayetteville School District has seen a significant reduction in disciplinary incidents since implementing new cellphone procedures. As part of this initiative, students from kindergarten through sixth grade have been denied access to devices during the school day. Junior high and high school students, while allowed to carry their phones, are not permitted to use them during instructional time.
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Courtney Morawski, presented findings showing that major discipline referrals have declined. At the junior high level, insubordination, disorderly conduct, and fighting have all seen notable decreases. Specifically, insubordination cases dropped from 5 in 2023 to 2 in 2024, disorderly conduct cases decreased from 8 to 2, and fighting incidents fell from 15 to 11. Similarly, at the high school level, insubordination cases decreased from 22 to 19, disorderly conduct cases dropped from 8 to 4, and fighting incidents declined from 21 to 11.
The school district introduced these policies this fall and is currently evaluating their effectiveness. Superintendent John Mulford expressed satisfaction with the initial results, noting that the district might not need to take the next step of making the entire school day phone-free. Instead, they will continue to monitor how students, teachers, and parents adapt to these changes before making any final policy decisions.
The district has allocated 3,000 from the state to purchase locking storage units for phones. Once these units are implemented, students would place their phones in the storage for the entire school day. However, the district is taking a cautious approach, using the fall semester to assess current procedures before finalizing any decisions.
The impact on student behavior has been noticeable. Parents and administrators have reported a decrease in negative feedback from students regarding the phone-free policy. Katrina Osborne, a board member, mentioned that students at home no longer complain about the policy, indicating they have become accustomed to it.
The Fayetteville School District’s goal is to help students stay focused during class hours and improve their social and emotional health. By reducing the distractions caused by cellphones, the district aims to create more conducive learning environments.
- Kindergarten through sixth-grade students have no access to devices during the school day.
- Junior high and high school students are not allowed to use their devices during instructional time.
- Major discipline referrals have significantly decreased across junior high and high school levels.
- The district is evaluating its current procedures before deciding on any final policy changes.
As part of this ongoing evaluation, Superintendent Mulford highlighted that the district is committed to listening and learning from all stakeholders. By collecting data from students, teachers, and parents, the district can refine its approach to better support its students’ educational and personal development.
