A Message from Ben Shuldiner

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. As many of you know, we have finally created a districtwide cellphone procedure, an action long overdue. Districts and even some states have had thoughtful, clear rules around cellphone usage for years, even decades.

I am glad that within three months of my arrival, we were able to develop a cogent and concise rule that expands and clarifies our current patchwork of school-based procedures while fitting within the framework many of our schools already use.

After talking with many stakeholders and immersing ourselves in the latest research, we decided on the following districtwide rules:

Off and Away All Day (K-8)

This includes our elementary, middle, and K–8 schools. While some have pushed back on the strictness of this rule, the overwhelming majority of families, staff, and students seem to support it.

No Cell, Bell to Bell (High School)

This includes students at our comprehensive high schools, alternative high schools, high school CTE programs, Seattle Skills Centers, and other programs.

After extensive input, we felt the best course of action was to prohibit cellphone use during instructional time but allow it during lunch and passing periods.

I recognize that some feel this does not go far enough. Some families wanted an Off and Away All Day procedure for the entire district. However, after deep engagement with our community, especially high school students and their families, allowing phone use during lunch and passing periods makes the most sense at this time. We do not want to create rules that are overly burdensome, or we cannot enforce, though we will continue to learn and iterate as needed.

I want to explain this distinction:

1. Almost all of our high schools are open campus. If students leave campus, they would be able to use their phones, making enforcement impossible. We didn’t want to create a perverse incentive for students to leave campus during lunch and not participate in clubs or other activities. We also didn’t want to pit open campus schools against closed campus schools.
2. Many high school students participate in CTE and other programs that require travel during the school day. For both practical and safety reasons, they need access to their phones.
3. Many high school students have jobs or childcare responsibilities. The ability to check in during the day, around school pickup, drop-off, or work shifts is important. Without phone access for much of the day, their ability to support their families would be greatly limited.

I understand that some feel these rules go too far, while others feel they do not go far enough. However, for our first districtwide cellphone procedure, I, and the dedicated team who developed it, believe these are the right rules at the right time.

Now, we need everyone to follow them.

I also want to acknowledge that Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8, which will be the topic of the next newsletter.

Thank you all for believing in SPS. With your help and hard work, SPS truly will be the best urban public school district in the country.

Ben