This year, D303 formed a cell phone advisory council with the goal of discussing the place of cell phones in the classroom. The council is formed of Superintendent Paul Gordon, multiple teachers, students and community members. The council meets once a month, discussing various topics regarding the issue. Throughout the year, the council will continue to engage in the controversial conversation: to what extent do cell phones have a place in the classroom?
The council has 70 members, around 50 being students according to Gordon. The recruiting process was voluntary.
The group is working from a research based perspective; accordingly, the council worked off of a foundational text, “The Anxious Generation” by Johnathan Haidt, for the first two meetings and discussed based on the reading.
“They didn’t all just have to read the text, [members] get to have a really in-depth conversation,” said Gordon.
The council was formed due to concerns about phone use in classrooms brought up to Gordon during previous school years, mainly by teachers. Gordon decided it would be better to incorporate community voices rather than just creating and enforcing a rule.
“The intent is to come together as a community,” said Gordon.
In the spring, they will develop a course of action for the 2025-26 school year.
