Petition to the Jefferson County Public Schools Board of Education:

As a community, we are deeply concerned about the harmful effects of allowing students’ personal electronic devices on elementary and middle school campuses. The current personal electronic device policy of JeffCo is not sufficient to provide a learning environment that protects students' health and safety, supports uninterrupted learning, prevents distraction, and fosters meaningful in-person interactions and relationships. This issue has lifelong implications for students’ brain development, focus, and social, emotional, and mental well-being.

By signing this petition, you add your voice and support to urge the JeffCo school board to implement a device policy for all elementary and middle school campuses that:

• Prohibits the use of personal electronic devices and
• Requires that such devices be left at home or kept in designated areas and turned off while on school premises during the designated school day.

We cannot afford to wait any longer. Our students, teachers, and community members deserve a school district that values their well-being and strives to provide the best possible learning environment.

Each signature on this petition is a personal stand on behalf of the well-being, safety, and right to the pursuit of uninterrupted education that every child in Jefferson County deserves.

Join us in this effort and make a difference. Sign this petition and stand up for our children.

Keep reading for more information on this petition, policy change it proposes, the costs for JeffCo students of not signing it, and research on devices in schools.

 

PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE DIFFERENT THAN SCHOOL-ISSUED DEVICES

School-issued devices such as laptops and tablets are usually locked down to keep students off of social media and to prevent unsafe content and site access.

Personal electronic devices, however, have no such built-in restrictions. Students can access any content on the Internet and social media as well as use smartphones to film other students without their permission.

JeffCo’s “Bring Your Own Device” policy (see below) puts the burden on students to regulate the content they access.

This is an unrealistic and absurd expectation for children and teens whose prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain in charge of responsible decision making) won’t be fully formed until they reach the age of 25.

Students may even access unsafe or inappropriate content accidentally, or be the victim of one of the countless predatory apps and creators that target children via ads on child-themed content.

It’s the school district’s responsibility to protect children who are in their care, not to foist that responsibility onto children.

Current Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy

"Jeffco Public Schools is committed to helping students learn the skills they need to succeed in a world filled with technology. Our network allows secure access to the Internet for students who want to use their own personal devices (laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphone, etc.) during the school day for classroom activities.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) fosters student ownership of learning, extends learning for students from home to classroom, provides easier access to online instructional material, and supplements school equipment. Students are expected to use their devices in accordance with district policy."

Source: 2024-25 JeffCo Student and Parent Handbook

TEACHERS SUPPORT DEVICE-FREE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Educators are calling for stronger device policies. Teachers polled by the National Education Association (NEA) say personal device usage is very distracting during school. 

• 90 percent of NEA members support school policy that prohibits cell phone/personal devices during instructional time
• 83 percent of teachers support prohibiting cell phone/personal device usage during the entire school day (with exceptions for things like medical or assistive-technology needs).

THE RESEARCH ON THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME & SOCIAL MEDIA ON STUDENTS

There is a large body of evidence displaying the harmful effects of excessive screen time, access to social media, and use of personal electronic devices during the school day. Below are just a few statistics that reveal the damaging and dangerous effects of personal device possession and usage during the school day:

Academic Outcomes

• Students score 1.5 grade letters higher on multiple choice tests when they don’t have access to a phone during class
• 62% more information is captured by students not using their phones during class
  Source
• Students who physically removed their smartphones during class experienced significantly higher levels of learning comprehension and lower levels of anxiety
  Source

Social Harm/Bullying

• 200% increase in social loneliness at school since 2012
  Source
• 20% of high school girls who were electronically bullied (through texting,
  Instagram, Facebook, or other social media) in 2021
  Source

Distraction and ADHD

• 247 notifications on average received per day per American kid with up to 4,500 
• 23% of notifications occur during the school day
• 1,035 potential learning disruptions caused by notifications from student devices per day
  Source
• Teens with high levels of digital media exposure develop ADHD at 2x the rate of teens with low media exposure
  Source

Mental Unwellness | Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide

95% – Percentage of teachers who say anxiety and depression is a problem for students in public K-12 schools. Top contributing factors cited were:

• Personal device use
• Social media
• Lack of mental health staffing in schools

For middle schools, bullying was of particular concern.
Source

• 41% of teens with high social media use view their overall mental health as poor or very poor
  Source
• 134% increase in anxiety among young people since 2010
• 106% increase in depression among young people since 2010 
  Source
• Risk of suicidal behavior increases for every hour children spend on screens. 
  Source
• 5 hours spent on social media, on average, by teens each day
  Source
• 22% of high school students who have seriously considered suicide in the last year
• 1 in 10 high school students have attempted suicide in the last year
  Source

WHY A STRONGER DEVICE POLICY?

It’s not the job of educators to regulate device usage. Allowing devices in school highlights inequity and creates inconsistency among students. Though many parents worry about the amount of screen time their children get, others are not aware of the costs of having personal electronic devices in the learning environment. And why would they? They aren’t in the classrooms and they often don’t have access to the latest research.

School districts have access to both front-line feedback (from educators and students) and research about the harmful effects of personal device usage on campus during the school day. They are – or should be – painfully aware of the problem and are in the position to do something about it.

A line must be drawn. 

We know we must make immediate changes. The research above unequivocally points to mental, emotional, and social demise of our youth if we don’t act. There is also extensive research highlighting the benefits of device-free learning environments, including:

• Improved academic performance
• Development of neural pathways that support focus and sustained attention
• Better emotional regulation leading to fewer behavioral issues
• Improved social skills
• More meaningful interactions with peers and teacher
• Less classroom time/teachers’ energy wasted on device regulation
• Reduction in online bullying
• Protection from harmful videos being recorded/shared at school
• Freedom from social media pressures during school hours

WHY NOW?

JeffCo has an opportunity to be on the leading edge of this critical moment for our youth. The district can become an early adopter of these policies, prioritizing the best learning environments for students and educators while stepping up as an inspiration for other districts across Colorado and the United States.

Similar device policies are being implemented in school districts across the United States and worldwide. It is only a matter of time until all school districts and/or national legislation mirror these.

We have modeled our policy recommendations after the one rolled out by District 51 in Colorado for the 2024-25 school year. We believe that this is the best way to protect and support the children of the JeffCo School District while they are in the care of their schools.

Below is an outline of the policy we would like JeffCo to adopt and take steps to implement immediately with full implementation being reached, at the latest, by the start of the 2025-26 school year.

DISTRICT 51 POLICY MODEL

Source: District 51 Student and Parent Handbook personal electronic device policy 2024-25

Student Use of Cell Phones and Other Personal Electronic Devices

The Board of Education believes that personal electronic devices may be useful tools for students in the educational environment and can play a vital communication role during emergency situations. However, possession and use of personal electronic devices in school situations must be regulated to ensure that the use or presence of such devices does not disrupt or interfere with the educational process or school operations, or impair the safety, welfare, and privacy of students and staff. Therefore, in order to create engaging spaces in the educational environment that fosters sustained attention and maximizes learning, students may only use personal electronic devices on District property, in a District vehicle, or at a District or school-sponsored activity or event in accordance with this policy.

For purposes of this policy, "personal electronic devices" include any privately-owned portable technology device including but not limited to cell phones, a smart or electronic watch, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks, virtual reality devices, wireless earbuds/earphones, cameras, audio and/or video recorders and players, and any other hand-held electronic communication and data storage devices.

Students shall not use personal electronic devices as follows:

• Students in grades PreK – 8 are prohibited from using personal electronic devices on school premises during the designated school day. The school day includes but is not limited to instructional time, lunch periods, recess, school-sponsored programs, events or activities, or any other time during the designated school day. All personal electronic devices shall be kept in designated areas and turned off.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that personal electronic devices are turned off and placed in designated areas during times when use is not authorized. Personal electronic devices (1) that produce any audible sound, a ring tone, or vibrating alert, whether through a speaker, earbuds/earphones, buzzer, or other means, or (2) that are displayed or in plain view at such times shall be deemed to be used in violation of this policy.

Regardless of the permitted uses or limitations placed on the use of personal electronic devices, the following conduct is prohibited:

1. To engage in, promote, or facilitate any conduct that otherwise violates the Code of Student Conduct or other Board policies or regulations, or state or federal law.
2. In any manner that causes or results in disruption of the educational environment or school sponsored extracurricular activities or events, or impairs or interferes with school or District operations;
3. To photograph or record the activities of other students or school personnel on District property or at school or school sponsored activities, or to disseminate to others such photographs or recordings, in a manner intended to cause or result in, or in a manner the student using the device should reasonably have foreseen would cause or result in, emotional distress, embarrassment or humiliation of a person, or an invasion or violation of any person’s reasonable expectation of privacy.
4. Use of personal electronic devices in locker rooms, bathrooms, or other locations where the presence of such devices poses an unreasonable risk to the safety, welfare, or privacy of other persons, as determined by the building principal.
5. When their use is otherwise prohibited by this policy or by school rules. The principal may, at his or her discretion, establish and enforce additional rules for the use of personal electronic devices appropriate to individual campus needs. School officials are encouraged to set guidelines for the use of such devices during school trips and extracurricular activities. 

Exceptions: Students may possess and use personal electronic devices during instructional time or when otherwise prohibited, under the following circumstances:

1. When specifically authorized under a current individual education plan (IEP), a Section 504 accommodation plan, or a health care plan in force and effect regarding the student.
2. The use is necessary to respond to or report an emergency. For purposes of this policy, "emergency" shall mean an actual or imminent threat to the health or safety of students and/or school personnel, which may result in death, bodily injury, or property damage.
3. For instructional purposes in accordance with specific school procedures and under the direction of the school principal.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Each signature on this petition is a personal stand on behalf of the well-being, safety, and right to the pursuit of uninterrupted education that every child in Jefferson County deserves.