• Research and training brought concerns to the table.
Star Valley High School administrators have announced that, beginning today, students will be expected to more fully follow the Lincoln County School District No. 2 policy (JICJ) which dictates student use of smart devices during instructional time.
Administrators announced the change in an email to parents on Monday, November 18 after holding two parent meetings in the valley last week. In the meetings, Principal Ferrin Haderlie, Assistant Principal Josh Frazier and LCSD No. 2 Director of Technology Kyle Weber, presented statistics and voiced concerns about the impact of smart phone usage on the mental and emotional health of youth.
Drawing on the research of Jonathon Haidt, and his book, “The Anxious Generation,” Haderlie presented statistics that link excessive smart phone usage to increased depression, anxiety and exhaustion among teens and young adults. Though most SVHS students claim to use their phones more moderately than most youth nation-wide, the administration recognizes that personal devices have disrupted instruction time, and have led to an increase in mental and emotional challenges among our local youth.
“The evidence is overwhelming that students’ personal use of electronic devices diminishes their academic performance and distracts from the learning process,” the email on Monday read. Parents were directed to a YouTube link that discusses the evidence that has inspired the administration’s decision.
(https://www.youtube.com/
SVHS staff and administrators have attended multiple national trainings where they have seen more fully how personal devices influence the maturing brain. “There are also growing concerns and substantial evidence that smart devices are detrimental to emotional well-being and academic growth. We are concerned for our students.”
Technology plays an integral role in the instruction process and educational model at SVHS, with each student having been issued a laptop at the beginning of the school year. The LCSD No. 2 Technology Department is tasked with keeping the students safe online.
“Although this system is not perfect, we feel confident it helps our students be successful,” the email read. “Parents have the ability to manage their students’ online usage” on school-issued devices through the program that SVHS uses to govern access to online content.
Parents are invited to use the QR code on page 1A to download the Securely app. Through this app, parents can view and manage student access to online content.
The email also included a recent letter to all school districts from Governor Mark Gordon and Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, which encourages administrators to enforce their existing smart device usage guidelines.
“Unchecked cell phone usage poses a significant threat to both the educational experience and the mental well-being of our students,” the letter from Gordon and Degenfelder read. “Moreover, there is a concerning link between cell phone and social media usage and rising mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and even suicide attempts among students.”
SVHS administrators will be deferring to the “district policy and current handbook procedures for guidance with discipline for any possible infractions.”
“We love our kids, and we want them to be healthy and happy,” Haderlie stated in the parent meeting at Etna Elementary School.
Constituents who have questions or concerns are invited to contact the LCSD No. 2 district office at 307-885-7847.
