{"id":2027489,"date":"2023-09-10T19:20:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T23:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/middletown-district-continues-cellphone-restriction-policy-in-new-school-year\/"},"modified":"2023-09-10T19:26:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T23:26:29","slug":"middletown-district-continues-cellphone-restriction-policy-in-new-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/middletown-district-continues-cellphone-restriction-policy-in-new-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Middletown District maintains cellphone restrictions in new school year."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmiddletown-district-continues-cellphone-restriction-policy-in-new-school-year%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2027489&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>This fall, Middletown School District\u200c is continuing \u200cits ban on cell phones at school given the\u200b positive outcomes observed on campuses,\u2063 according to Superintendent Amy Creeden.<\/p>\n<p>The district was\u200c one of the first in the area\u2064 to start \u200dsuch a\u2062 policy last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe noticed changes in classrooms that \u2062kids were engaging at a different \u200clevel\u200d and asking questions that they \u200chadn\u2019t,\u201d Ms. \u200cCreeden told The Epoch Times on \u200dSept.\u2063 8.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Story<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/middletown-maintains-top-tier-credit-ratings-with-moodys-5478033\">Middletown Maintains Top-Tier Credit Ratings With \u200cMoody\u2019s<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/22\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/middletown-maintains-top-tier-credit-ratings-with-moodys-5478033\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe also experienced a shift in more relaxed spaces\u2064 such as \u200cthe cafeteria,\u201d \u200cshe said, adding that the district provided resources like\u200d board games on-site to help students\u200c enjoy each other\u2019s company\u2063 and develop personal connections off\u2062 social media.<\/p>\n<p>Though it is too early to tell if the\u2064 policy\u2063 improves test scores, Ms. Creeden was confident that a more engaged student body would contribute to overall academic performance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    \u2064   \u201cWe believe very firmly in all of the initial reasons why we dug into this, and we believe\u2064 that these are the best decisions for our scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Cellphone Policy<\/h2>\n<p>    \u200b    Last fall, \u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/middletown-district-bans-cellphone-use-in-new-school-year-4701997\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the district started a new policy<\/a> \u200c of no student cellphone use during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/los-angeles-school-hosts-commercial-shoot-while-doors-remain-shut-to-students\/\" title=\"Los Angeles School Hosts Commercial Shoot While Doors Remain Shut To Students\">school day<\/a>, including lunch breaks and\u2064 passing periods, following a half-year experiment at Mohagen and Twin Towers Middle School.\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    Months later, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/middletown-high-school-partners-with-yondr-to-build-phone-free-campus-5049694\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the district launched a new partnership<\/a> with a\u200c cellphone pouch company called Yondr to help \u2063some 2,700 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-sec-on-womens-school-sports-we-have-a-legal-responsibility-to-include-transgender-athletes\/\" title=\"Biden Education Sec On Women\u2019s School Sports: We Have a \u2018Legal Responsibility\u2019 to Include Transgender Athletes\">high school students<\/a> transition to the new cellphone policy.<br \/>\n \u2062\n  <\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>A Yondr pouch and a magnetic opener at an info session at Presidential \u200bPark\u200b Elementary \u200bSchool in Middletown, N.Y., on Feb. 7, 2023. (Cara Ding\/The \u2062Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ms. Creeden said at the time that middle and \u2062high school students had a more challenging time adapting than\u2062 younger students because they were more used to being always on the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Per the policy, high \u2063schoolers must \u2064keep their phones\u2062 inside Yondr pouches during the school day; the pouches come with special magnetic locks that cannot \u2062be\u200b opened manually.<\/p>\n<p>For emergency contact needs, staff members will help students \u2063open the pouches through unlocking stations.<\/p>\n<p>The district is monitoring the\u200c outcome of the pouch program and considering extending it to the two middle schools, Ms. Creeden said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    Nearby Newburgh School \u2062District also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newburghschools.org\/news.php?storynum=4645\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">launched a new cellphone restriction policy<\/a> last fall and expanded the Yondr pouch program to middle and high schools this year.<\/p>\n<h2>Refinements and \u200bAdjustments<\/h2>\n<p>    \u2062 The cellphone policy has also met with its share of parental concerns and practical challenges.<br \/>\n  \u200d\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere is a sense now that \u2063families\u2063 need to have access to their children whenever, wherever,\u201d Ms. Creeden said. \u200d\u201cSo,\u200b the idea of saying that we are putting\u2064 cell phones away and that\u2064 young people won\u2019t have access to their personal devices poses a\u2062 bit of challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Middletown School District Superintendent Amy Creeden demonstrates a Yondr pouch at a presentation to parents at Presidential Park Elementary School \u200din Middletown, N.Y., on Feb.\u200d 7, 2023. (Cara Ding\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>She said the district used\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/middletown-district-continues-cellphone-restriction-policy-in-new-school-year\/\" title=\"Middletown District maintains cellphone restrictions in new school year.\">multiple virtual info sessions<\/a>\u200d and in-person town\u2064 halls to inform parents about the policy, including eight alone this summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe provide the \u2018why\u2019 behind what we were\u2064 doing and\u2062 make ourselves abundantly available to \u200dfamilies that wanted to talk about the \u2018why,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201c[So that we can say] here is your feedback, \u200bhere is how we digested that feedback, and here are the\u2062 actions we took as a result of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A major parental concern\u2062 evolves around student cellphone access during emergency events, to which Ms. Creeden responded that the district had several safety protocols in place to protect students in emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>They include fire extinguishers and\u2062 bleed kits in hallways, plus\u2062 emergency kits in classrooms with medical-grade scissors that can \u2062cut open \u2064the\u200d pouches, she said.<\/p>\n<p>A new \u200dpanel of high school students is also being considered\u200c to help the administration get \u2063their perspectives on \u200bthe policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo we\u2062 could understand from all and \u2062know where we\u200b need to dial in and tighten things up or \u2064shore up the process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Middletown School\u2064 District Superintendent Amy \u2063Creeden in her \u2062office in Middletown, N.Y., on\u2063 Sept. 8, 2023. (Cara Ding\/The\u200b Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>\u2018Safe Enough to Try\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>    Ms.\u2063 Creeden said the\u200c cellphone policy rollout reflects a \u2018safe enough to try\u2019 mentality, which allows her administration to thoughtfully try out new things to \u2064move\u200b the district \u2062forward.<br \/>\n \u200b\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe say that we create a plan, we get it to \u2064a spot where \u200dit feels safe enough to try it, we implement it, and w<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This fall, Middletown School District will uphold its cell phone ban due to positive results. Superintendent Amy Creeden states that the district was among the pioneers in implementing this policy last year. The ban has led to increased student engagement and improved classroom dynamics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":417,"featured_media":2027490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2027489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/417"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2027489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2027490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2027489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2027489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2027489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}