02-05-2025
Hawaii DOE looking for input on cell phones in school
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Cell phone use in schools has been the subject of critical discussion across the country, and now the Hawaii Department of Education is asking for the opinions of parents, students, teachers and staff.
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'Yes, recently some other school districts across the nation have limited the use of cell phones in schools, and so there's been a lot of questions about whether or not Hawaii should follow suit,' said Teri Ushijima, the Assistant Superintendent with the DOE's Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design. 'Although a bill putting a blanket policy on limiting cell phone use in schools died in the legislature, there's still definitely a growing public interest on how cell phone use in schools shapes educational experiences. A large majority of campuses have already established their own school-level rules and guidance to manage cell phone use. A Department-wide policy could help bring consistency, but we also want to be mindful of flexibility to accommodate different communities' needs. Age level may also be a consideration. So with that in mind, we've launched a multi-phase effort to gather stakeholder input ahead of any policy recommendations.'
The survey is also available for principals. It is relatively quick, consisting of about 16 questions for parents. It went live on April 21 and is available through May 5.
'Students in grades 3-12 were sent the survey through their Department accounts,' Ushijima said. Schools are helping to distribute the surveys to staff and families. The surveys, which are being administered via a third-party platform called Panorama, have been open since April 21 and will remain open until this coming Monday, May 5. We highly encourage parents and guardians to take the time to submit their valuable feedback on this topic, as it could really impact future planning and policies.'If you haven't received your survey link, the link is available here.
'The results will help inform HIDOE's understanding of perspectives and experiences around mobile phone use in classrooms and guide future decision-making and potential policy development. We look forward to working with our Board of Education on the next steps.' Ushijima said.
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