February 20, 2025 • 6 mins
The Principal of Sage Magne Academy in Palmdale School District Dr. Timothy Howell joins Wake Up Call to discuss success they have had with cellphone ban at their schools.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
As you know, LA schools have enacted a ban on
cell phones during school hours.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
In the classroom, textronomical trends, the boot of bugs learning,
the ten emmerans. The rules all now change in at
least it's not a bread the school district does me.
The phone is class in my head, the cellphones in the.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Classroom, the cell phones in the classroom.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah, lausd is change in all the rules. Everybody knows
that cellphonean aloud in school.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
A lot of people are upset about that, not happy,
little freaked out about it. But this is nothing new
for U Sage Magnet Academy in the Palmdale School District.
So we would love to say good morning to the
principal at Sage Magnet Academy, doctor Timothy Howell.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Good morning, doctor, good morning. How are you.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
We're doing great? So you have a cell phone band
in effect and it's been that way for a while.
How how's it going.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Yes, ma'am, Actually it's going great. When we when we
first started, of course, we had to push back from
the parents and students or whatever, but we held the
line and set the expectation high. So it's going really
really well. Our students. You know, we use that as
the ticket to get into the school. They have to
show their cell phone pouches. And every single student was
(01:34):
issued a pouch and they're expected to bring it to
school every day, whether they have a phone or not,
because we want to make sure that if something comes
up during the school day and they forget to put
their phone or anything like that, they have their pouch
to put the phone in. So in the morning at
the before they eat an inter school, they can't enter
(01:55):
the school without that cell phone pouch. Okay, So if
they yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Doctor Hall tell us, so is it just a little
black pouch that seals or what is it?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, it's yeah, it's it's it's Yonder Pouches is a
company that you know, did it. But it's like a
gray pouch and it has a strong magnet on its magnetized.
So every morning we bring out the magnet and they
have to use the magnet to open up the pouch
and put their phone in there, and then they seal it.
(02:27):
They close the magnet and the pouch and then and
then they enter into the school, okay, all.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Right, and then it stays sealed all day long. And
so even if they they couldn't get into the pouch
if they wanted to, Like you guys have to actually
release that.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Yes, they if they sealed all they they keep the
phones with them, and yeah, if they take it out
or if they like some kids try to be sneaky,
and if they don't, if we do a random pouch
check or something like that and we find the phone
in a parent pick up, okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
And there are a lot of parents who were saying,
or who have been saying, at least for La They're saying,
I need to be able to reach my children, what
if there's an emergency? So how do you combat that argument?
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yes, I tell the parents, like how school used to
be a long time ago. It's like if there's an
if there's an emergency, they can We'll call the school,
go to the nurser's office, We'll call the parent like
we we always do. We don't want all of these
emergencies all over the campus where kids is calling their
parents and for for ridiculous things. And so these phone
(03:37):
pouches have has really improved, you know, the engagement in
the classrooms eliminated a lot of drama. You know, kids
planning to fight, posting fights, and all of this stuff.
At school, they still do it, but they do it
on Saturday and Sunday, I guess, or after school.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Okay, I was just going to ask you about that,
Like do the kids you said that there's less bullying
on camp because they're not like right, you know, like
in my day we wrote nasty notes to each other.
But and but it only went to like one person.
It didn't go to everybody on campus. So that's one thing.
And then as far as like student performance and that
kind of stuff, have you seen a difference with them
(04:14):
not having that distraction.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Most definitely. Actually it Actually it puts more pressure on
teachers to you know, make sure that you know their
their instructional practices are at a high level. Because now
we have the student's attention. We we eliminated a lot
of the distractions. So now you know, the kids are
they're listening to what the instructions are and if the
(04:39):
teachers should have a be prepared to give them, you know,
quality instruction now because they have their attention. And even
for those students that maybe have their phones, you know,
they don't want to put it in the pouch and
they're being sneaky or anything. Like that they will do
not bring that phone out because they know they're going
(04:59):
to do you know, identify quickly because all the phones
should be in the pouches. So yes, it brings focus
into the classroom. I haven't had any issues when it
comes to the phones because they know we're coming to confiscate.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah, okay. And then what about lunchtime? Can they use
them during lunch and breaks?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Absolutely not. We want students to be engaged in activity.
So at Sage Magnet Academy, we at lunchtime kids can
play chess, they sit down, play board games. We also
have a company that comes in and they plan sports
with them, football and basketball at lunch time. So kids
are learning how to learn how to socialize again and
(05:41):
learning how to you know, be be kids. And so
we don't have those issues.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I love that, Doctor Timothy Howe, Principal at Stage Magnet Academy.
We love to hear success stories. Thanks for coming on
and explaining it, and hopefully for parents in LA schools
just know that things are going to be just fine. Yes,
absolutely all right, doctor Hell thank you so much for
your time this morning.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Thank you
Okay.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
As you know, LA schools have enacted a ban on
cell phones during school hours.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
In the classroom, textronomical trends, the boot of bugs learning,
the ten emmerans. The rules all now change in at
least it's not a bread the school district does me.
The phone is class in my head, the cellphones in the.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Classroom, the cell phones in the classroom.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah, lausd is change in all the rules. Everybody knows
that cellphonean aloud in school.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
A lot of people are upset about that, not happy,
little freaked out about it. But this is nothing new
for U Sage Magnet Academy in the Palmdale School District.
So we would love to say good morning to the
principal at Sage Magnet Academy, doctor Timothy Howell.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Good morning, doctor, good morning. How are you.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
We're doing great? So you have a cell phone band
in effect and it's been that way for a while.
How how's it going.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Yes, ma'am, Actually it's going great. When we when we
first started, of course, we had to push back from
the parents and students or whatever, but we held the
line and set the expectation high. So it's going really
really well. Our students. You know, we use that as
the ticket to get into the school. They have to
show their cell phone pouches. And every single student was
(01:34):
issued a pouch and they're expected to bring it to
school every day, whether they have a phone or not,
because we want to make sure that if something comes
up during the school day and they forget to put
their phone or anything like that, they have their pouch
to put the phone in. So in the morning at
the before they eat an inter school, they can't enter
(01:55):
the school without that cell phone pouch. Okay, So if
they yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Doctor Hall tell us, so is it just a little
black pouch that seals or what is it?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, it's yeah, it's it's it's Yonder Pouches is a
company that you know, did it. But it's like a
gray pouch and it has a strong magnet on its magnetized.
So every morning we bring out the magnet and they
have to use the magnet to open up the pouch
and put their phone in there, and then they seal it.
(02:27):
They close the magnet and the pouch and then and
then they enter into the school, okay, all.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Right, and then it stays sealed all day long. And
so even if they they couldn't get into the pouch
if they wanted to, Like you guys have to actually
release that.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Yes, they if they sealed all they they keep the
phones with them, and yeah, if they take it out
or if they like some kids try to be sneaky,
and if they don't, if we do a random pouch
check or something like that and we find the phone
in a parent pick up, okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
And there are a lot of parents who were saying,
or who have been saying, at least for La They're saying,
I need to be able to reach my children, what
if there's an emergency? So how do you combat that argument?
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yes, I tell the parents, like how school used to
be a long time ago. It's like if there's an
if there's an emergency, they can We'll call the school,
go to the nurser's office, We'll call the parent like
we we always do. We don't want all of these
emergencies all over the campus where kids is calling their
parents and for for ridiculous things. And so these phone
(03:37):
pouches have has really improved, you know, the engagement in
the classrooms eliminated a lot of drama. You know, kids
planning to fight, posting fights, and all of this stuff.
At school, they still do it, but they do it
on Saturday and Sunday, I guess, or after school.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Okay, I was just going to ask you about that,
Like do the kids you said that there's less bullying
on camp because they're not like right, you know, like
in my day we wrote nasty notes to each other.
But and but it only went to like one person.
It didn't go to everybody on campus. So that's one thing.
And then as far as like student performance and that
kind of stuff, have you seen a difference with them
(04:14):
not having that distraction.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Most definitely. Actually it Actually it puts more pressure on
teachers to you know, make sure that you know their
their instructional practices are at a high level. Because now
we have the student's attention. We we eliminated a lot
of the distractions. So now you know, the kids are
they're listening to what the instructions are and if the
(04:39):
teachers should have a be prepared to give them, you know,
quality instruction now because they have their attention. And even
for those students that maybe have their phones, you know,
they don't want to put it in the pouch and
they're being sneaky or anything. Like that they will do
not bring that phone out because they know they're going
(04:59):
to do you know, identify quickly because all the phones
should be in the pouches. So yes, it brings focus
into the classroom. I haven't had any issues when it
comes to the phones because they know we're coming to confiscate.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah, okay. And then what about lunchtime? Can they use
them during lunch and breaks?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Absolutely not. We want students to be engaged in activity.
So at Sage Magnet Academy, we at lunchtime kids can
play chess, they sit down, play board games. We also
have a company that comes in and they plan sports
with them, football and basketball at lunch time. So kids
are learning how to learn how to socialize again and
(05:41):
learning how to you know, be be kids. And so
we don't have those issues.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I love that, Doctor Timothy Howe, Principal at Stage Magnet Academy.
We love to hear success stories. Thanks for coming on
and explaining it, and hopefully for parents in LA schools
just know that things are going to be just fine. Yes,
absolutely all right, doctor Hell thank you so much for
your time this morning.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Thank you
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