Hollister school district bans cell phone use on campuses

The Hollister Elementary School District Board this week decided to ban cell phone-use by students on campus for the upcoming school year.

Students will be required to turn off their cell phones before setting foot at the district’s elementary and middle schools.

“I never even thought about elementary schools, but I understand there are second graders, second graders have cell phones and they’re doing the same type of thing,” said Stephen Kain, the board president of HESD.

Kain was a teacher before he retired. He remembers the exact time when cell phones and smart phones started becoming a problem in class, let alone in 2019 with constant access to social media like Snapchat and Instagram at the touch of a screen.

“If you are worrying about what the last person said about you or posted a picture of you, it really raises the anxiety level of kids at school,” said Kain. “When you have a high anxiety level, you can’t learn. You’re too worried about other things.”

The school district board voted to ban cell-phone use for students unanimously.

“The rule will be they’re turned off as soon as you walk onto campus. You can turn them on again as soon as you leave campus,” said Kain.

Cell phones must also be kept out of sight at all times. They will not be allowed during transition times or breaks either.

If students are caught using a cell phone during school for the first time, their phone will be taken away and parents must retrieve the device from the office themselves. If they are caught a second time, parents will have to speak with administrators about the issue. If they are caught a third time, the student will not be allowed to take a cell phone to school anymore completely.

“It distracts everything of the students, of the teachers. And if it was myself, and I was a teacher, I would say no cell phones in class, leave it home,” said Geraldine Rodriguez, a Hollister resident.

But some students say the rules are too harsh.

“I feel like it’s a good idea to keep it in your pocket or in your backpack, but I don’t think they should take it away during break or lunch because I think that’s too extreme,” said Nataly Delgado, a Hollister high school student who attended middle school in the city.

But problems with cyberbullying and the potential for academic cheating are other reasons why the district voted for the ban.

“If you’re going to learn, you need to have your full focus on learning. You can’t be worrying about other things. And that’s where we’re coming from,” said Kain.

There are 5,600 students across the entire district. The new policy will take effect in August on the first day of school. This does not include the high school in Hollister or anywhere else in San Benito County.