October 23, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode, we're putting the spotlight on Stratford Public Schools' new cell phone policy. We sit down with Assistant Superintendents Dr. Phil Piazza and Dr. Diana DiIorio to discuss the policy's goals, its impact on student focus and social dynamics, and the challenges of creating a technology-balanced learning environment. We’ll explore how the policy is being implemented across all grade levels, from PreK to 12th grade, and what the future holds for technology use in our schools.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome, everyone, to the officialpodcast of the Straffer Public Schools.
(00:09):
From forest to shore, I'm Matthew Rivers,Director of Operational Technology.
And I'm Dr. Michelle Eckler,Director of Instructional Technology.
We're here to share the stories thatconnect our community, all of which
reflect our mission to support the growthof the whole student through a challenging
and inspiring education within asafe and inclusive environment.
(00:30):
Every episode, we'll introduce you to thevery people who embody our portrait of a
graduate, the communicators,collaborators, lifelong learners, and
solution-driven problem solverswho make our district shine.
Like our town motto, our Schools andClassrooms are a tapestry of diverse
students and dedicated staff, and webelieve every one of
(00:51):
them has a story to tell.
It's more than just a podcast.
It's a journey through theheart of our community.
We'll be your guide sharing the latestdistrict news, diving into important
policies, and highlighting theachievements of the people who
make our schools exceptional.
We invite you to join us as we have honestconversations and share key updates.
(01:13):
This podcast is for all of us, thestudents, the staff, the families, and the
community members who takepride in our collective work.
It's a place to get informed, feelconnected, and be inspired by the
power of education in Stratford.
We're proud to share these stories withand we can't wait for you to hear them.
(01:34):
Welcome back to Stratford PublicSchools podcast, From Forest to Shore.
Today, we're tackling a topic that is onevery student's and guardians
minds, the cell phone policy.
This is a conversation about balancingtechnology with learning and creating a
focused, inclusiveenvironment in our schools.
(01:55):
To help us dive into this importantdiscussion, we have two key voices
from our district leadership.
Joining us today are Dr. Phil Piazza,Assistant Superintendent for grades 7
through 12, and Dr. Diana Diorio,Assistant Superintendent for Pre-K to 6.
They're here to share their insights onhow this policy is shaping our schools and
what it means for our students'educational experience.
(02:18):
Welcome, everybody.Thank you.
Good morning, good afternoon.
So, yeah, we'll just jump right in.
Could you both walk us through themain goals of the cell phone policy?
What were we hoping to achieve byimplementing these guidelines
across the district?
Sure.Yeah.
(02:38):
And thanks for having us.
Where our cell phone policy wascreated by our cell phone task force
last year, which hadrepresentatives from across the district
and the community, parents,community members.
We also pulled some studentsto get their opinions.
And I think our cell phone policy hasthree primary goals that align with
(03:00):
our commitment to student success.
First and foremost, we want to create asafe, positive, and productive
learning environment.
That's always our goal, where our studentscan focus on instruction
without the distractions thatwe know devices can bring.
Second, we're responding to a growing bodyof research that suggests constant access
to phones and electronic devices can bedetrimental to students' emotional
(03:24):
well-being and academic growth.
Of course, we're all seeing concerningtrends in student anxiety, social
comparison, and attention spansthat are linked to device usage.
Finally, we aimed to help students develophealthier relationships with technology by
establishing clear boundariesduring the school day.
(03:45):
You'll hear this probablymultiple times today.
This policy isn't aboutbanning technology.
It's about creating intentional spaceswhere face-to-face interaction
and deep learning can thrive.
We believe that by limiting devicesand their access during instructional
time, that we're actually helping studentsbuild the focus, social skills, and
(04:07):
emotional resilience that they'llneed throughout their lives.
I think it's similar forthe younger students.
Our youngest learners in pre-K to 6, Ithink the main goal were to create an
environment where students can fullyengage in the learning,
build strong social skills, andpractice healthy technology habits.
(04:28):
We recognize that at this crucialdevelopmental stage from early childhood
through elementary school, children arestill learning self-regulation,
attention management, andessential social problem solving.
But I think by having clear, consistentexpectations around phone use, we can
(04:49):
significantly minimizecognitive distractions in the classroom,
support positive face-to-face peerinteractions, and help students maximize
their focus on both core academicsand meaningful relationships
within the classrooms.
And even from abeing technology side, me and Michelle,
(05:12):
we always see certain TikTok trends ofthings going in the Chromebook
USB ports and that stuff.
So havingthat distraction away in the classroom,
those opportunities for that side of thesocial networking side of
(05:38):
these devices and that peer interactionthat can cause those situations.
Taking that out of the situation inside ofthe classroom will help foster those
things that you guys were speaking about.Sure.
And I know over the years,Stratford I've partnered with the police
(06:01):
department many times, many years.
They would come in and they woulddo workshops for our students.
And years ago, it started with thesixth grade only in elementary school.
I feel every year welowered the grade level.
I remember, I recall one time theyasked who has cell phones by grade.
(06:23):
When it reached second grade, I thinkeveryone was shocked in the room.
We We're feeling the impact, though.
I'm always amazed.
Driving home at the end of the day,elementary school is just getting out, and
you see all the way down to first gradersgetting into the car with their parents,
(06:45):
and they have a cell phone in their hand.
It's wild to think about,but it is our reality.
Not unfortunately, but itjust is our reality now.
For me, you both brought up the idea ofthe wellness The US side of it, too, which
is super important to usin Stratford in general.
(07:05):
Our district was accepted to be part of anationwide grant about digital wellness.
So that's some of the work thatwe're doing with the team as well.
And one of the things that comes upregularly is the negative side effects of
doomscrolling when you're at home and thethings that you see and the fact that it
doesn't just affect our kids,it affects our adults, too.
(07:26):
If we're modeling forthe students what we expect of them,
ultimately, I think we're also going tohelp the mental health
and wellness of our staff.
That was definitely a topic ofconversation during the cell
phone task force with parents.
We all admitted our own faults in terms ofour device use and our addiction and how
(07:47):
we react to our phonesand our reliance on them.
That was a great perspective to havebecause, of course,
a policy such as this to enforce it and toget the results that we want really
requires cooperationbetween all parties, parents, community
members, faculty, staff, and students.
For everybody that's listening,it's not only for students.
(08:12):
Staff areall But it's also playing a key role where
when they have their downtime orthey're having their lunch period or
they're walking through the halls,they're not on their devices.
We want to model the behavior.Exactly.
Surely.All right.
Dr. Piazza, from a high schoolperspective, what are some of the
(08:32):
immediate changes you've observed in theclassrooms and hallways since
the policy has got into effect?
Well, we've seen some really encouragingchanges at the high school level.
In classrooms, teachers are reporting thatstudents are more engaged
during instruction.
They're less tempted to multitask or checktheir devices during learning activities.
The use of the secure storage containerswas a big piece, and
(08:56):
that has really set a clear expectation isthat when you enter the classroom,
your focus is on learning.
We're also noticing really more authenticpeer interaction, which was missing, of
course, with people looking downat their phones all the time.
Students are allowed to use their devicesat the high school between
classes and during lunch.
(09:17):
Interestingly enough, we're seeing moreface-to-face conversations
happening alongside the device use.
That's been really encouraging.
Students seem to be finding a betterbalance, which, of course, is a
One of our goals.It's huge, yeah.
Of course, it's been an adjustment period.
We've had to enforce the policyconsistently through our
(09:38):
progressive discipline approach.
But overall, teachers are telling us thatthey can actually teach without competing
with notifications and social media, andthat's making a real difference
in classroom culture.
So we are creating an environment wherelearning is the priority, and students
seem to be adapting wellto that expectation.
Yeah.
And I think fromA staff perspective when you have a full
(10:05):
class of students actuallylooking at you while you're teaching,
while you're trying to get them engaged, Ithink staff will respond even more
to that type of interaction, and you'regoing to get that enjoyment out of
the actual teaching side of things now.
(10:28):
Walking into high school classroomsBecause last year, cell phones were
everywhere, headphones, earbud.
I would always look and think, howare they focusing on the learn?
How are they listeningto their classroom conversation
and what their teacher is saying?
Some were just for fashion,the headphones.
(10:49):
It is fashion now.
But it's still impactingwhat they could hear.
Of course.
The fact that they couldn'ttake everything in.
I would imagine we're hoping to see thatreflected in how the kids are achieving
throughout the school year, for sure.Awesome.
Fantastic.
Dr. Diario, forour younger students in grades pre-K
(11:10):
through 6, how does this policy impacttheir daily routine and their social
interactions, especially since they'reat a different developmental stage?
Yeah, I think for our younger students,the policy really acts as a positive force
that helps structure their day in a waythat profoundly supports
(11:32):
learning and social growth.
It's all about social growth inthe younger years, especially.
Especially to that young, yeah.That's right.
For most pre-k 6 students, phones aren'tan integrated part of
the academic routine.
It's not as much as secondaryschools, I don't think.
So removing access during the day allowsthem to fully just focus on
(11:52):
what should be happening.
Rich face-to-face interactions,collaborative play, and
deep classroom engagement.
I think teachers across the board haveshared that students seem more present in
the daily work that they're doing.That's great.
Not lingering, knowingthat their phone might buzz.
(12:14):
Right.
So that's been really helpful.
I think it forces children to practiceproblem solving skills more and
negotiating with their peersand conflict resolution.
There's just more conversing, moreconversations happening in the classroom.
I think we're intentionally protecting thetime that they have, our essential social
(12:37):
developmental skills that they need.
I think not havingat that age in the classroom, having those
types of devices, but havingthe technology in the room
for their actual learning.
Obviously, we haveChromebooks in every classroom,
(13:01):
but now they can concentrate onnot only that social emotional aspect
between peers and staff members, but nowthey can actually work on the
technology, integration, wheretheir typing is a big thing now.
(13:21):
So they're actually using the correcttechnology in the classroom as opposed to
the incorrect technology, which that wascausing your social-emotional situations.
At such an early age, you really have toconcentrate on what needs to be done
(13:45):
in the classroom, not distractions.Absolutely.
And I think it just helped the teachersbe able to focus more on class lessons
without having to worry aboutthe different rules, too,
from building to building.
Each elementary school had theiryour own rule with cell phones.
I think the consistency has made it easierfor teachers to also concentrate
(14:06):
on what needs to be done.
I love that we have the focus in suchearly ages, too, because I think learning
to understand what it means to be a gooddigital citizen, understanding what
it means to have balance in your life.
I mean, even if coming to school is theonly balance they get throughout the day,
it's balance that we'reteaching them early.
(14:27):
So as they become adults, they're notsitting at the dinner table with their
cell phones out and nottalking to one another.
They're actually able to have aconversation with their family.
I think that's awesome.It's great.
I think, too.
Certain students wouldknow certain periods.
Well, I can check my phone at that time.
I'll see if so and so responded to me.
Now there's none of that because it'svery consistent from class to class.
(14:49):
That was something they were seeingat the middle school level as well.
Our middle school policy is the same asthe elementary, which is away all day,
where they were actually planning to meetup filming things in the hallway
that were causing a distraction.
We all remember middle school.
I mean, it's a critical developmental-I try to forget middle school.
I mean, it's such a critical developmentalstage, and they're building
(15:13):
these foundational social skills.
They're learning to manage their emotionsand developing their attention spans.
And think about the effect that theirphones and social media
are having on all that.
So we really believe byremoving the devices, we were giving them
an opportunity to really be fully presentwith their peers and their teachers.
(15:36):
They're learning important lessons aboutdelayed gratification and
being present in the moment thatUnfortunately, the phones
just take that away from us.Yeah, totally.
And at that middle school level,everything is so reactive anyways, right?
(15:57):
So having thatcatalyst that could make things even
more reactive away, that just...It's helpful.
Yeah, exactly.
As a former high school teacher, I willsay there are two types of teachers out
there that I think are saints, and thoseare our kindergarten teachers
and our middle school teachers.
Middle school teachers, thankyou for everything that you do.
(16:18):
Yes.
All right.
I have a question just ingeneral for both of you.
We've touched upon it alreadyas we've been chatting today.
We have a no-phone I know, right?We do.
But how does the policy support ourdistrict's mission to foster communication
and collaboration among students?
(16:39):
You want me to go firstor you want to go first?
I'll go because that'san excellent question.
It does get to the heart of why thispolicy is really more about just
restricting devices, as I said earlier.
When students aren't glued to theirscreens, they're more likely to engage
in the authentic face-to-facecommunication that builds real
(17:00):
collaboration skills, something we'refocusing on this year with our students.
In classrooms, teachers can facilitatediscussions, group work, problem solving
activities without devicescreating barriers between students.
We're seeing students make more eyecontact, read social cues better.
That's huge.
Practice the verbal communication that isreally going to be essential
(17:22):
to their future success.
The policy also includes importantprovisions for educational use.
Teachers can still incorporate technologywhen it enhances their learning
with administrative approval.
There's a process in place if they dothink it's vital to the lesson for them
to get approval to use devices in class.
(17:43):
So again, this ensures that we're usingdevices as tools rather than toys, as I
usually say, to support collaborationrather than-It's really good.
I like that.I like that tools rather than toys.
Tools rather than toys.
Itrequires students, again, to follow our
responsible use policy when they do usetheir device during these permitted times.
(18:05):
Also at the same time, we're teaching themto be thoughtful,
respectful digital citizens.
They're learning that technologyshould connect us and not isolate us.
That lesson is really fundamental topreparing them for college, their careers,
and whatever their life isafter they work their way through
this draft for public schools.
I love that you said connectus rather than separate us.
(18:30):
Yeah.
When you think about how technologyhelped us, when we think about the early
time of the pandemic, andtechnology is what connected us all.
It's what helped us all staytogether as a community.
Then as time has gone on, it hasstarted to instead separate us.
It's nice thatwhat we're doing here in Stratford is
(18:52):
allowing us the opportunity to look at itas a connection tool rather than a
separation or just going by yourselfand doing what you want to do.
I mean, I would agree with Dr. Piazza.
I think it's a reinforcement to ourcommitment to social emotional
learning and deep collaboration.
(19:14):
Collaboration is a focus of ourportrait of a Graduate this year.
Just one of the competencies.
And I think without cell phones in theclassroom, that naturally
helps build that competency.
When students aren't relying on a screento occupy their attention or mediate a
moment, they are naturally compelled tocommunicate directly,
(19:34):
to read some nonverbal cues, to activelylisten to one another, and to work
together effectively, basically, toachieve a common goal that we all have.
I think it's about creating the optimalconditions for students to build
meaningful, authentic connections with oneanother and practice interpersonal
skills as we've been discussing.
(19:56):
Thenonverbal cue things, you've both brought
that up, but I I think that's areally big thing for our students to
understand,because the face-to-face of our world,
that part is never going to go away.
We're always going to have that, andthey have to be able to do those.
That's a life skill.
I think being such a Socially networkedworld, everything is words on a page.
(20:22):
You may not understand tone froma text message or an email, but you know
somebody's tone when you'reactually looking at them.
You see the body changes, the eye changes.Yeah.
So having the ability now toincorporate that in regular day
(20:44):
teaching, we're gaining those skills.Absolutely.
I think our hope, too, is that it carriesinto the home and that parents are
thinking maybe less cell phone time,even at home, will be beneficial.
(21:05):
Kind of a loaded question, butwhat are some of the biggest challenges
you faced so far or Any feedback thatyou received regarding the policy?
How are we addressingany of those concerns?
I think overall, we've been reallyhappy with how things have rolled out.
(21:27):
Communication was key over the summeronce the policy was passed by the board.
But as with any significant policy change,there are some challenges, and we
have received some varied feedback.
One of the most common concerns fromparents has been about
emergency communication.
We did address this during the cell phonetask force as we were creating the policy.
(21:50):
Parents want to be able to reachtheir child immediately if needed.
As a parent, I understand that concern.
We have addressed this by emphasizing thatin a true emergency,
parents should contact the main office.
We have access to get their childto them immediately if need be.
Similarly, if students are experiencingany emergency during the school day, they
(22:12):
can go to the office to use thephone or get help from staff.
This is actually a safer protocol thanhaving all the students try to handle
emergencies on their own via text, or ifthere was an emergency going on in the
building, them calling their parentsand parents showing up in the building.
Sowe think just by communicating that and
(22:34):
letting parents know how they can reachtheir children if they need to
and how children can reach their parentshas worked well.
We've even installed some additionalphones in our main offices to allow for
any additional calls that might becoming in or going out.
Another challenge,as Dr. Diorio mentioned earlier,
has been consistency in enforcement.
(22:57):
Some students have tested the boundaries,and we've had to be- To be expected.
Yeah, of course.
We've had to be very clear and consistentwith our progressive discipline approach
that includes warnings, confiscation,parental contact, and escalating
consequences for repeated violations.
We've heard from some parents about theinconvenience of having to
(23:19):
pick up confiscated devices.
However, that accountability measure hasproven effective in reinforcing
the importance of the policy.
Then From the students, we've heardconcerns about feeling disconnected
or anxious without their devices.
This feedbackactually reinforces why the policy is
necessary because it is helping studentsdevelop that resilience and the ability to
(23:43):
function without thatconstant digital connection.
So we are supporting them through thisadjustment and helping them see
the benefits of being more present.
I don't think anything thatwe've dealt with in terms of feedback
or challenges is anythingthat we did not plan for.
(24:03):
So that's been great.
I think we're building that consistencyacross all of our buildings.
That's so important.
And any concerns at the elementarySo is it on the same level?
No.Specifically for elementary?
It's very similar to secondary.
I think the difference is elementaryschools were used to
the phones being away.
And so they've already built the habitof you call the office for an emergency.
(24:30):
Occasionally, we would have a student cometo the office and say, My mom said, and
why did you talk to mom on a cell phone?
So again, like we said before,it's just more consistency now.
I think one of the bigger challenges isbreaking the habit for
everyone, adults included.
Even myself, I'm trying to be moreconscious when I'm walking
(24:51):
into classrooms and visiting.
I like to take lots of pictures, but I'mtrying to be really
conscious now to keep the phone away andabide It's by the same rules.
That's why I bought a digital camera.
The kids often ask mewhat that is, though.
What is that, miss?
It's a camera.
I will give some props to our parents.
(25:14):
Really When we set out to develop thispolicy, I figured that group would be the
group that would be thetoughest to convince.
And again, as a parent,I want to know where my kids are.
I want to know that they're safe.
And the parents have been sosupportive of this initiative.
Perhaps that's because they areseeing some results at home as well.
(25:35):
That's awesome.
And when they're being called, we'rebeing met with apologies, not conflict.
Oh, wow.That's awesome.
Because they're aware of the policy.
They said they've spoken to their childrenabout the policy, and the fact that
their child broke that policy orhad a lapse in judgment, they're very
(25:56):
apologetic, and they come and pick it up,and they assure us that
they'll continue to work with their kidsto make sure it doesn't happen again.
So that's been a great thing to see.
And again, we all know it's difficultto be a parent these days, especially
around cell phonedevices and social media.
So all that support that we're gettingfrom our parents is truly appreciated.
(26:18):
And I think a goodportion of that, especially from the
parents side, ishow the task force and the district
started off with as much communication aspossible when we were
implementing the policy.
When you took a whole...
It was a whole year todevelop the policy, wasn't it?
(26:39):
Exactly.We took our time with it.
We saw some mistakes that other districtswere making, going too fast,
making changes mid-year, whichwould just be so impossible.
So we did take our time, and then weworked with our board to get that policy
passed, and then began communicatingimmediately after that in a
variety of different ways.
(26:59):
So We made the policy very accessibleto the community
and then just continued that throughoutthe summer, so everyone knew
what they were coming back to.
I think with the staff, knowing that wewere working on it for a year, first of
all, Dr. Piazza did an amazing job withthe task force, but it allowed for staff
to start having those conversations, too,with the parents of, Well, we
(27:21):
know this is coming down the pike.
We'll learn the specifics, but we knowthere's going to be a major change.
I think that was helpful, too.
You just soft-balled the lastquestion of our podcast today to me.
So looking ahead and thinking about thefuture here in Stratford, what is
next for the cell phone policy?
Do you think you're goingto make any adjustments?
(27:42):
Are there going to be any new initiativesbased on feedback or
data you're collecting?
Well, we're definitely committed tocontinuously evaluating this policy to
ensure it's serving our students well.
We are collecting dataon several metrics, disciplinary
incidences related to device teacherfeedback on classroom engagement,
(28:03):
and student self-reporting abouttheir own experiences with the policy.
We'll definitely be lookingat that throughout the year.
We're also monitoring academic performanceindicators to see if limiting device
access correlates with improved outcomes.
We'll keep an RIA on thatas the year moves forward.
(28:25):
Then based on what we learn,we may make adjustments to the policy.
We discuss We stress that when the policywas passed, that we might come back to the
table based on the results that we see.
For example, we're exploring whethercertain exceptions or modifications might
be appropriate for specific circumstances.
While, of course, maintainingthe policy's core goals.
(28:48):
And we're also planning to enhance oureducational initiatives around digital
citizenship and healthy technology habits.
So we'll probably expand on that.
The policy definitely creates theboundaries, but we also need to teach
students why those boundaries exist andhow to make good choices when they
do have access to their devices.
(29:08):
And then, of course, looking ahead, we'llalso consider parent-student workshops
on topics like social media literacy,screen time management, maintaining family
connections in a healthy way, trying tohelp our parents as much as we can in
building that collaboration with them.
The policy is really just one piece of abroader effort to help our students
(29:30):
thrive in this digital world.
We are really excited tocontinue to build on this foundation with
additional supports and resourcesfor them and for their families.
I mean, I would agree with Dr. Piafla.
He covered everything that I wasthinking as we're going along.
Very eloquently.
I mean, I was going to stress thedigital citizenship lessons, too.
(29:52):
I don't know, Dr. Echler, maybe you wantto talk more about it in
the elementary school.
But I think we're all excited that wedidn't take it away.
Our goal is to teach students proper useof it so that it doesn't become
a habit or used inappropriately.Yeah.
I mean, our elementary students right noware in the middle of their digital
(30:15):
citizenship lessons in theirlibrary time, they're getting that.
Our middle school and our high school,they have their plan for rolling that out.
And I think the students are aware thatthey have to complete
this for a lot of reasons.
Our secondary students, especially, are, Iknow, waiting with baited breath for us to
open up an AI platform for them, whichthey can't get until they've understood
(30:40):
the ramifications of usingtechnology appropriately.
So we're really working towards thatand making sure that they understand it.
I think it'll help them even whenthey're outside the school walls.
Yeah, absolutely.
Right.
It's that transference ofskill from classroom outside.
Right.
(31:00):
So, yeah, I think that's...
Yeah, that's all we've got for today.
All we got for today.
So thank you both so much for being hereand sharing your insights
on this critical topic.
Your work is very important inshaping the future of our students.
So thank you, guys.Thank you.
Thank you.Thanks for having us.
This is fun.Awesome.
(31:21):
And that brings us to the end ofanother episode from Forest to Shore.
Thank you so much for joining usand for being a part of our story.
We're grateful for the opportunity toshare the amazing work happening in our
schools, from theclassrooms to the community.
To stay connected and get all the latestnews from Stratford Public Schools, be
sure to follow us onInstagram at stratfordpsct.
(31:45):
You can also find this on YouTube.
Just search for Stratford Public Schools.
For even more information, includingdistrict news and event calendars,
visit our official website at www.
Stratfordk12.Org.
You feel more connected and informed, andwe'll see you on the next
journey from Forest to shore.
Welcome, everyone, to the officialpodcast of the Straffer Public Schools.
(00:09):
From forest to shore, I'm Matthew Rivers,Director of Operational Technology.
And I'm Dr. Michelle Eckler,Director of Instructional Technology.
We're here to share the stories thatconnect our community, all of which
reflect our mission to support the growthof the whole student through a challenging
and inspiring education within asafe and inclusive environment.
(00:30):
Every episode, we'll introduce you to thevery people who embody our portrait of a
graduate, the communicators,collaborators, lifelong learners, and
solution-driven problem solverswho make our district shine.
Like our town motto, our Schools andClassrooms are a tapestry of diverse
students and dedicated staff, and webelieve every one of
(00:51):
them has a story to tell.
It's more than just a podcast.
It's a journey through theheart of our community.
We'll be your guide sharing the latestdistrict news, diving into important
policies, and highlighting theachievements of the people who
make our schools exceptional.
We invite you to join us as we have honestconversations and share key updates.
(01:13):
This podcast is for all of us, thestudents, the staff, the families, and the
community members who takepride in our collective work.
It's a place to get informed, feelconnected, and be inspired by the
power of education in Stratford.
We're proud to share these stories withand we can't wait for you to hear them.
(01:34):
Welcome back to Stratford PublicSchools podcast, From Forest to Shore.
Today, we're tackling a topic that is onevery student's and guardians
minds, the cell phone policy.
This is a conversation about balancingtechnology with learning and creating a
focused, inclusiveenvironment in our schools.
(01:55):
To help us dive into this importantdiscussion, we have two key voices
from our district leadership.
Joining us today are Dr. Phil Piazza,Assistant Superintendent for grades 7
through 12, and Dr. Diana Diorio,Assistant Superintendent for Pre-K to 6.
They're here to share their insights onhow this policy is shaping our schools and
what it means for our students'educational experience.
(02:18):
Welcome, everybody.Thank you.
Good morning, good afternoon.
So, yeah, we'll just jump right in.
Could you both walk us through themain goals of the cell phone policy?
What were we hoping to achieve byimplementing these guidelines
across the district?
Sure.Yeah.
(02:38):
And thanks for having us.
Where our cell phone policy wascreated by our cell phone task force
last year, which hadrepresentatives from across the district
and the community, parents,community members.
We also pulled some studentsto get their opinions.
And I think our cell phone policy hasthree primary goals that align with
(03:00):
our commitment to student success.
First and foremost, we want to create asafe, positive, and productive
learning environment.
That's always our goal, where our studentscan focus on instruction
without the distractions thatwe know devices can bring.
Second, we're responding to a growing bodyof research that suggests constant access
to phones and electronic devices can bedetrimental to students' emotional
(03:24):
well-being and academic growth.
Of course, we're all seeing concerningtrends in student anxiety, social
comparison, and attention spansthat are linked to device usage.
Finally, we aimed to help students develophealthier relationships with technology by
establishing clear boundariesduring the school day.
(03:45):
You'll hear this probablymultiple times today.
This policy isn't aboutbanning technology.
It's about creating intentional spaceswhere face-to-face interaction
and deep learning can thrive.
We believe that by limiting devicesand their access during instructional
time, that we're actually helping studentsbuild the focus, social skills, and
(04:07):
emotional resilience that they'llneed throughout their lives.
I think it's similar forthe younger students.
Our youngest learners in pre-K to 6, Ithink the main goal were to create an
environment where students can fullyengage in the learning,
build strong social skills, andpractice healthy technology habits.
(04:28):
We recognize that at this crucialdevelopmental stage from early childhood
through elementary school, children arestill learning self-regulation,
attention management, andessential social problem solving.
But I think by having clear, consistentexpectations around phone use, we can
(04:49):
significantly minimizecognitive distractions in the classroom,
support positive face-to-face peerinteractions, and help students maximize
their focus on both core academicsand meaningful relationships
within the classrooms.
And even from abeing technology side, me and Michelle,
(05:12):
we always see certain TikTok trends ofthings going in the Chromebook
USB ports and that stuff.
So havingthat distraction away in the classroom,
those opportunities for that side of thesocial networking side of
(05:38):
these devices and that peer interactionthat can cause those situations.
Taking that out of the situation inside ofthe classroom will help foster those
things that you guys were speaking about.Sure.
And I know over the years,Stratford I've partnered with the police
(06:01):
department many times, many years.
They would come in and they woulddo workshops for our students.
And years ago, it started with thesixth grade only in elementary school.
I feel every year welowered the grade level.
I remember, I recall one time theyasked who has cell phones by grade.
(06:23):
When it reached second grade, I thinkeveryone was shocked in the room.
We We're feeling the impact, though.
I'm always amazed.
Driving home at the end of the day,elementary school is just getting out, and
you see all the way down to first gradersgetting into the car with their parents,
(06:45):
and they have a cell phone in their hand.
It's wild to think about,but it is our reality.
Not unfortunately, but itjust is our reality now.
For me, you both brought up the idea ofthe wellness The US side of it, too, which
is super important to usin Stratford in general.
(07:05):
Our district was accepted to be part of anationwide grant about digital wellness.
So that's some of the work thatwe're doing with the team as well.
And one of the things that comes upregularly is the negative side effects of
doomscrolling when you're at home and thethings that you see and the fact that it
doesn't just affect our kids,it affects our adults, too.
(07:26):
If we're modeling forthe students what we expect of them,
ultimately, I think we're also going tohelp the mental health
and wellness of our staff.
That was definitely a topic ofconversation during the cell
phone task force with parents.
We all admitted our own faults in terms ofour device use and our addiction and how
(07:47):
we react to our phonesand our reliance on them.
That was a great perspective to havebecause, of course,
a policy such as this to enforce it and toget the results that we want really
requires cooperationbetween all parties, parents, community
members, faculty, staff, and students.
For everybody that's listening,it's not only for students.
(08:12):
Staff areall But it's also playing a key role where
when they have their downtime orthey're having their lunch period or
they're walking through the halls,they're not on their devices.
We want to model the behavior.Exactly.
Surely.All right.
Dr. Piazza, from a high schoolperspective, what are some of the
(08:32):
immediate changes you've observed in theclassrooms and hallways since
the policy has got into effect?
Well, we've seen some really encouragingchanges at the high school level.
In classrooms, teachers are reporting thatstudents are more engaged
during instruction.
They're less tempted to multitask or checktheir devices during learning activities.
The use of the secure storage containerswas a big piece, and
(08:56):
that has really set a clear expectation isthat when you enter the classroom,
your focus is on learning.
We're also noticing really more authenticpeer interaction, which was missing, of
course, with people looking downat their phones all the time.
Students are allowed to use their devicesat the high school between
classes and during lunch.
(09:17):
Interestingly enough, we're seeing moreface-to-face conversations
happening alongside the device use.
That's been really encouraging.
Students seem to be finding a betterbalance, which, of course, is a
One of our goals.It's huge, yeah.
Of course, it's been an adjustment period.
We've had to enforce the policyconsistently through our
(09:38):
progressive discipline approach.
But overall, teachers are telling us thatthey can actually teach without competing
with notifications and social media, andthat's making a real difference
in classroom culture.
So we are creating an environment wherelearning is the priority, and students
seem to be adapting wellto that expectation.
Yeah.
And I think fromA staff perspective when you have a full
(10:05):
class of students actuallylooking at you while you're teaching,
while you're trying to get them engaged, Ithink staff will respond even more
to that type of interaction, and you'regoing to get that enjoyment out of
the actual teaching side of things now.
(10:28):
Walking into high school classroomsBecause last year, cell phones were
everywhere, headphones, earbud.
I would always look and think, howare they focusing on the learn?
How are they listeningto their classroom conversation
and what their teacher is saying?
Some were just for fashion,the headphones.
(10:49):
It is fashion now.
But it's still impactingwhat they could hear.
Of course.
The fact that they couldn'ttake everything in.
I would imagine we're hoping to see thatreflected in how the kids are achieving
throughout the school year, for sure.Awesome.
Fantastic.
Dr. Diario, forour younger students in grades pre-K
(11:10):
through 6, how does this policy impacttheir daily routine and their social
interactions, especially since they'reat a different developmental stage?
Yeah, I think for our younger students,the policy really acts as a positive force
that helps structure their day in a waythat profoundly supports
(11:32):
learning and social growth.
It's all about social growth inthe younger years, especially.
Especially to that young, yeah.That's right.
For most pre-k 6 students, phones aren'tan integrated part of
the academic routine.
It's not as much as secondaryschools, I don't think.
So removing access during the day allowsthem to fully just focus on
(11:52):
what should be happening.
Rich face-to-face interactions,collaborative play, and
deep classroom engagement.
I think teachers across the board haveshared that students seem more present in
the daily work that they're doing.That's great.
Not lingering, knowingthat their phone might buzz.
(12:14):
Right.
So that's been really helpful.
I think it forces children to practiceproblem solving skills more and
negotiating with their peersand conflict resolution.
There's just more conversing, moreconversations happening in the classroom.
I think we're intentionally protecting thetime that they have, our essential social
(12:37):
developmental skills that they need.
I think not havingat that age in the classroom, having those
types of devices, but havingthe technology in the room
for their actual learning.
Obviously, we haveChromebooks in every classroom,
(13:01):
but now they can concentrate onnot only that social emotional aspect
between peers and staff members, but nowthey can actually work on the
technology, integration, wheretheir typing is a big thing now.
(13:21):
So they're actually using the correcttechnology in the classroom as opposed to
the incorrect technology, which that wascausing your social-emotional situations.
At such an early age, you really have toconcentrate on what needs to be done
(13:45):
in the classroom, not distractions.Absolutely.
And I think it just helped the teachersbe able to focus more on class lessons
without having to worry aboutthe different rules, too,
from building to building.
Each elementary school had theiryour own rule with cell phones.
I think the consistency has made it easierfor teachers to also concentrate
(14:06):
on what needs to be done.
I love that we have the focus in suchearly ages, too, because I think learning
to understand what it means to be a gooddigital citizen, understanding what
it means to have balance in your life.
I mean, even if coming to school is theonly balance they get throughout the day,
it's balance that we'reteaching them early.
(14:27):
So as they become adults, they're notsitting at the dinner table with their
cell phones out and nottalking to one another.
They're actually able to have aconversation with their family.
I think that's awesome.It's great.
I think, too.
Certain students wouldknow certain periods.
Well, I can check my phone at that time.
I'll see if so and so responded to me.
Now there's none of that because it'svery consistent from class to class.
(14:49):
That was something they were seeingat the middle school level as well.
Our middle school policy is the same asthe elementary, which is away all day,
where they were actually planning to meetup filming things in the hallway
that were causing a distraction.
We all remember middle school.
I mean, it's a critical developmental-I try to forget middle school.
I mean, it's such a critical developmentalstage, and they're building
(15:13):
these foundational social skills.
They're learning to manage their emotionsand developing their attention spans.
And think about the effect that theirphones and social media
are having on all that.
So we really believe byremoving the devices, we were giving them
an opportunity to really be fully presentwith their peers and their teachers.
(15:36):
They're learning important lessons aboutdelayed gratification and
being present in the moment thatUnfortunately, the phones
just take that away from us.Yeah, totally.
And at that middle school level,everything is so reactive anyways, right?
(15:57):
So having thatcatalyst that could make things even
more reactive away, that just...It's helpful.
Yeah, exactly.
As a former high school teacher, I willsay there are two types of teachers out
there that I think are saints, and thoseare our kindergarten teachers
and our middle school teachers.
Middle school teachers, thankyou for everything that you do.
(16:18):
Yes.
All right.
I have a question just ingeneral for both of you.
We've touched upon it alreadyas we've been chatting today.
We have a no-phone I know, right?We do.
But how does the policy support ourdistrict's mission to foster communication
and collaboration among students?
(16:39):
You want me to go firstor you want to go first?
I'll go because that'san excellent question.
It does get to the heart of why thispolicy is really more about just
restricting devices, as I said earlier.
When students aren't glued to theirscreens, they're more likely to engage
in the authentic face-to-facecommunication that builds real
(17:00):
collaboration skills, something we'refocusing on this year with our students.
In classrooms, teachers can facilitatediscussions, group work, problem solving
activities without devicescreating barriers between students.
We're seeing students make more eyecontact, read social cues better.
That's huge.
Practice the verbal communication that isreally going to be essential
(17:22):
to their future success.
The policy also includes importantprovisions for educational use.
Teachers can still incorporate technologywhen it enhances their learning
with administrative approval.
There's a process in place if they dothink it's vital to the lesson for them
to get approval to use devices in class.
(17:43):
So again, this ensures that we're usingdevices as tools rather than toys, as I
usually say, to support collaborationrather than-It's really good.
I like that.I like that tools rather than toys.
Tools rather than toys.
Itrequires students, again, to follow our
responsible use policy when they do usetheir device during these permitted times.
(18:05):
Also at the same time, we're teaching themto be thoughtful,
respectful digital citizens.
They're learning that technologyshould connect us and not isolate us.
That lesson is really fundamental topreparing them for college, their careers,
and whatever their life isafter they work their way through
this draft for public schools.
I love that you said connectus rather than separate us.
(18:30):
Yeah.
When you think about how technologyhelped us, when we think about the early
time of the pandemic, andtechnology is what connected us all.
It's what helped us all staytogether as a community.
Then as time has gone on, it hasstarted to instead separate us.
It's nice thatwhat we're doing here in Stratford is
(18:52):
allowing us the opportunity to look at itas a connection tool rather than a
separation or just going by yourselfand doing what you want to do.
I mean, I would agree with Dr. Piazza.
I think it's a reinforcement to ourcommitment to social emotional
learning and deep collaboration.
(19:14):
Collaboration is a focus of ourportrait of a Graduate this year.
Just one of the competencies.
And I think without cell phones in theclassroom, that naturally
helps build that competency.
When students aren't relying on a screento occupy their attention or mediate a
moment, they are naturally compelled tocommunicate directly,
(19:34):
to read some nonverbal cues, to activelylisten to one another, and to work
together effectively, basically, toachieve a common goal that we all have.
I think it's about creating the optimalconditions for students to build
meaningful, authentic connections with oneanother and practice interpersonal
skills as we've been discussing.
(19:56):
Thenonverbal cue things, you've both brought
that up, but I I think that's areally big thing for our students to
understand,because the face-to-face of our world,
that part is never going to go away.
We're always going to have that, andthey have to be able to do those.
That's a life skill.
I think being such a Socially networkedworld, everything is words on a page.
(20:22):
You may not understand tone froma text message or an email, but you know
somebody's tone when you'reactually looking at them.
You see the body changes, the eye changes.Yeah.
So having the ability now toincorporate that in regular day
(20:44):
teaching, we're gaining those skills.Absolutely.
I think our hope, too, is that it carriesinto the home and that parents are
thinking maybe less cell phone time,even at home, will be beneficial.
(21:05):
Kind of a loaded question, butwhat are some of the biggest challenges
you faced so far or Any feedback thatyou received regarding the policy?
How are we addressingany of those concerns?
I think overall, we've been reallyhappy with how things have rolled out.
(21:27):
Communication was key over the summeronce the policy was passed by the board.
But as with any significant policy change,there are some challenges, and we
have received some varied feedback.
One of the most common concerns fromparents has been about
emergency communication.
We did address this during the cell phonetask force as we were creating the policy.
(21:50):
Parents want to be able to reachtheir child immediately if needed.
As a parent, I understand that concern.
We have addressed this by emphasizing thatin a true emergency,
parents should contact the main office.
We have access to get their childto them immediately if need be.
Similarly, if students are experiencingany emergency during the school day, they
(22:12):
can go to the office to use thephone or get help from staff.
This is actually a safer protocol thanhaving all the students try to handle
emergencies on their own via text, or ifthere was an emergency going on in the
building, them calling their parentsand parents showing up in the building.
Sowe think just by communicating that and
(22:34):
letting parents know how they can reachtheir children if they need to
and how children can reach their parentshas worked well.
We've even installed some additionalphones in our main offices to allow for
any additional calls that might becoming in or going out.
Another challenge,as Dr. Diorio mentioned earlier,
has been consistency in enforcement.
(22:57):
Some students have tested the boundaries,and we've had to be- To be expected.
Yeah, of course.
We've had to be very clear and consistentwith our progressive discipline approach
that includes warnings, confiscation,parental contact, and escalating
consequences for repeated violations.
We've heard from some parents about theinconvenience of having to
(23:19):
pick up confiscated devices.
However, that accountability measure hasproven effective in reinforcing
the importance of the policy.
Then From the students, we've heardconcerns about feeling disconnected
or anxious without their devices.
This feedbackactually reinforces why the policy is
necessary because it is helping studentsdevelop that resilience and the ability to
(23:43):
function without thatconstant digital connection.
So we are supporting them through thisadjustment and helping them see
the benefits of being more present.
I don't think anything thatwe've dealt with in terms of feedback
or challenges is anythingthat we did not plan for.
(24:03):
So that's been great.
I think we're building that consistencyacross all of our buildings.
That's so important.
And any concerns at the elementarySo is it on the same level?
No.Specifically for elementary?
It's very similar to secondary.
I think the difference is elementaryschools were used to
the phones being away.
And so they've already built the habitof you call the office for an emergency.
(24:30):
Occasionally, we would have a student cometo the office and say, My mom said, and
why did you talk to mom on a cell phone?
So again, like we said before,it's just more consistency now.
I think one of the bigger challenges isbreaking the habit for
everyone, adults included.
Even myself, I'm trying to be moreconscious when I'm walking
(24:51):
into classrooms and visiting.
I like to take lots of pictures, but I'mtrying to be really
conscious now to keep the phone away andabide It's by the same rules.
That's why I bought a digital camera.
The kids often ask mewhat that is, though.
What is that, miss?
It's a camera.
I will give some props to our parents.
(25:14):
Really When we set out to develop thispolicy, I figured that group would be the
group that would be thetoughest to convince.
And again, as a parent,I want to know where my kids are.
I want to know that they're safe.
And the parents have been sosupportive of this initiative.
Perhaps that's because they areseeing some results at home as well.
(25:35):
That's awesome.
And when they're being called, we'rebeing met with apologies, not conflict.
Oh, wow.That's awesome.
Because they're aware of the policy.
They said they've spoken to their childrenabout the policy, and the fact that
their child broke that policy orhad a lapse in judgment, they're very
(25:56):
apologetic, and they come and pick it up,and they assure us that
they'll continue to work with their kidsto make sure it doesn't happen again.
So that's been a great thing to see.
And again, we all know it's difficultto be a parent these days, especially
around cell phonedevices and social media.
So all that support that we're gettingfrom our parents is truly appreciated.
(26:18):
And I think a goodportion of that, especially from the
parents side, ishow the task force and the district
started off with as much communication aspossible when we were
implementing the policy.
When you took a whole...
It was a whole year todevelop the policy, wasn't it?
(26:39):
Exactly.We took our time with it.
We saw some mistakes that other districtswere making, going too fast,
making changes mid-year, whichwould just be so impossible.
So we did take our time, and then weworked with our board to get that policy
passed, and then began communicatingimmediately after that in a
variety of different ways.
(26:59):
So We made the policy very accessibleto the community
and then just continued that throughoutthe summer, so everyone knew
what they were coming back to.
I think with the staff, knowing that wewere working on it for a year, first of
all, Dr. Piazza did an amazing job withthe task force, but it allowed for staff
to start having those conversations, too,with the parents of, Well, we
(27:21):
know this is coming down the pike.
We'll learn the specifics, but we knowthere's going to be a major change.
I think that was helpful, too.
You just soft-balled the lastquestion of our podcast today to me.
So looking ahead and thinking about thefuture here in Stratford, what is
next for the cell phone policy?
Do you think you're goingto make any adjustments?
(27:42):
Are there going to be any new initiativesbased on feedback or
data you're collecting?
Well, we're definitely committed tocontinuously evaluating this policy to
ensure it's serving our students well.
We are collecting dataon several metrics, disciplinary
incidences related to device teacherfeedback on classroom engagement,
(28:03):
and student self-reporting abouttheir own experiences with the policy.
We'll definitely be lookingat that throughout the year.
We're also monitoring academic performanceindicators to see if limiting device
access correlates with improved outcomes.
We'll keep an RIA on thatas the year moves forward.
(28:25):
Then based on what we learn,we may make adjustments to the policy.
We discuss We stress that when the policywas passed, that we might come back to the
table based on the results that we see.
For example, we're exploring whethercertain exceptions or modifications might
be appropriate for specific circumstances.
While, of course, maintainingthe policy's core goals.
(28:48):
And we're also planning to enhance oureducational initiatives around digital
citizenship and healthy technology habits.
So we'll probably expand on that.
The policy definitely creates theboundaries, but we also need to teach
students why those boundaries exist andhow to make good choices when they
do have access to their devices.
(29:08):
And then, of course, looking ahead, we'llalso consider parent-student workshops
on topics like social media literacy,screen time management, maintaining family
connections in a healthy way, trying tohelp our parents as much as we can in
building that collaboration with them.
The policy is really just one piece of abroader effort to help our students
(29:30):
thrive in this digital world.
We are really excited tocontinue to build on this foundation with
additional supports and resourcesfor them and for their families.
I mean, I would agree with Dr. Piafla.
He covered everything that I wasthinking as we're going along.
Very eloquently.
I mean, I was going to stress thedigital citizenship lessons, too.
(29:52):
I don't know, Dr. Echler, maybe you wantto talk more about it in
the elementary school.
But I think we're all excited that wedidn't take it away.
Our goal is to teach students proper useof it so that it doesn't become
a habit or used inappropriately.Yeah.
I mean, our elementary students right noware in the middle of their digital
(30:15):
citizenship lessons in theirlibrary time, they're getting that.
Our middle school and our high school,they have their plan for rolling that out.
And I think the students are aware thatthey have to complete
this for a lot of reasons.
Our secondary students, especially, are, Iknow, waiting with baited breath for us to
open up an AI platform for them, whichthey can't get until they've understood
(30:40):
the ramifications of usingtechnology appropriately.
So we're really working towards thatand making sure that they understand it.
I think it'll help them even whenthey're outside the school walls.
Yeah, absolutely.
Right.
It's that transference ofskill from classroom outside.
Right.
(31:00):
So, yeah, I think that's...
Yeah, that's all we've got for today.
All we got for today.
So thank you both so much for being hereand sharing your insights
on this critical topic.
Your work is very important inshaping the future of our students.
So thank you, guys.Thank you.
Thank you.Thanks for having us.
This is fun.Awesome.
(31:21):
And that brings us to the end ofanother episode from Forest to Shore.
Thank you so much for joining usand for being a part of our story.
We're grateful for the opportunity toshare the amazing work happening in our
schools, from theclassrooms to the community.
To stay connected and get all the latestnews from Stratford Public Schools, be
sure to follow us onInstagram at stratfordpsct.
(31:45):
You can also find this on YouTube.
Just search for Stratford Public Schools.
For even more information, includingdistrict news and event calendars,
visit our official website at www.
Stratfordk12.Org.
You feel more connected and informed, andwe'll see you on the next
journey from Forest to shore.
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