On November 19th, Superintendent Hilda Maldonado and school board member Gabe Escobedo joined Newsom, health experts, state labor leaders, lawmakers, and representatives from Common Sense Media. The district’s “Off and Away” policy successes earned SBUnified recognition as one of only two districts in California invited to the governor’s mansion for a special meeting with Gavin Newsom. During this meeting, Newsom commended the district’s policy for its “positive impacts” on students and learning environments.
“It was an honor to have our District recognized and to be invited to the Governor’s Mansion and meet with the governor, first partner, health experts, state labor leaders, policymakers, legislators, and Common Sense Media representatives. The summit highlighted Santa Barbara Unified’s leadership in managing technology to prioritize student wellness and belonging while addressing both its benefits and challenges,” said Maldonado.
“It was a privilege to be at the forefront of this initiative before a mandate was given and to share our learnings to help balance the academic and wellness needs of students. I was proud to represent our district’s efforts—made possible by the collaboration of teachers, parents, staff, and the community—and to share our journey as a model for districts statewide as we navigate the impact of technology on 21st-century learners,” Maldonado continued.
In today’s day and age, the debate over the benefits and drawbacks of cellphones is one that is impossible to escape. Studies have shown on multiple occasions that excessive smartphone use among youth is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. In fact, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that 72% of high school teachers report cell phone distractions as a major problem. In addition, Common Sense Media found that 97% of students use their phones during the school day for a median of 43 minutes. All of this combined with the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about the risks of social media, it is urgent to provide reasonable guardrails for smartphone use in schools. And so, three years ago, the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUnified) developed the “Off and Away” policy in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA). Born from concerns about how cell phone use was impacting instruction and student engagement, the policy was quickly implemented district-wide.
While the “Off and Away” program is being rolled out in stages, students have already noted instances of teachers confiscating devices during the first week of school. SBUnified officially banned smartwatches, cell phones, and headphones in classrooms in 2022, requiring students to keep these devices in their backpacks, out of reach during class time. Some teachers have also adopted “cell phone hotels” as a storage solution for added structure. Notably, this effort aligns with AB 272, a law signed by Governor Newsom in 2019, granting schools the authority to regulate smartphone use during school hours. Now, let’s dive deeper into how the “Off and Away” policy is influencing daily life at San Marcos High School.
San Marcos High School’s current cell phone policy, an adopted version of SBUnified’s “Off and Away,” was first introduced two years ago under Principal Holdren’s leadership. One of Holdren’s first initiatives as principal was to develop a comprehensive approach to managing cell phone use on campus. Initially, every teacher implemented their own cell phone policy, with varying degrees of strictness. While some teachers wanted to confiscate phones entirely, others felt that students needed access to their devices, especially in the wake of COVID-19. According to Holdren, this inconsistency created challenges, as phones remained a distraction, and some teachers were hesitant to enforce rules for fear of being perceived as overly strict, damaging their relationship with their students.
“I don’t like the trust issues that come up, where I’m having to question them,” said art teacher Devon Espejo.
“That’s just taking away from teaching. Now my job is policing phones. I want to teach art. That’s what I want to do. I would love for a way to have some kind of automatic way to send messages to parents that’s just like one click, because right now it’s a lot of layers of protocol and it’s happening constantly. I can’t squash it unless I have one button to push where a parent gets alerted immediately,” Espejo concluded.
Recognizing the need for a unified approach, the 2023-2024 school year began with the school purchasing cell phone storage charts for every classroom, establishing clear expectations for phone usage. The policy emphasizes that phones should not be out during class and outlines procedures for handling non-compliance. Now, if a student refused to put their phone away, campus safety staff would step in to address the situation. This policy proved to be highly successful last year, not only reducing cell phone-related disruptions but also inspiring neighboring schools, such as Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara High, to adopt similar measures.
“I absolutely feel that it is going well. I’m incredibly proud of both our staff and our students for implementing this policy with fidelity,” said Holdren.
“When I go into classes nowadays, it is extremely rare to see a cellphone out whereas in the past I would see kids trying to sneak cellphones all the time. Overall, I am so proud of our school,” Holdren finishes.
Although the policy has done much to achieve the undisrupted learning environment both the SBUnified District and San Marcos has hoped, there is still ongoing discussion on the extent to which the plan is to be enforced going forward. One ongoing discussion involves concerns about emergencies. In lockdown scenarios, teachers are expected to assess the situation and, once deemed safe, allow students to use their phones to communicate with their families. The overarching goal is not to restrict access entirely but to help students focus on their education rather than on their devices.
As technology continues to evolve, both SBUnified and San Marcos remain committed to balancing its benefits and drawbacks, ensuring students can thrive academically.
