Darien Parents, School Staff Satisfied With New Personal Device Rules

DARIEN, CT — The new personal mobile device guidelines have been in place in Darien Public Schools for grades PK-8 for a little over two months, and according to the school district, things are "going really, really well" so far.

DPS Instructional Technology Coordinator Timothy McGuire gave a brief presentation to the Board of Education on Tuesday on the personal device plan and recently collected survey data from parents, students and staff.

"Keeping in mind the high level of satisfaction and effectiveness articulated by parents and staff, we feel this is working," McGuire told the board. "At this point, we are recommending continuing the current plan as is for the remainder of the school year and reevaluating in the spring."

The guidelines were established "to cultivate a safe and focused learning atmosphere, free from distractions," and they prohibit the use of devices like cellphones, smartwatches and earpods during the school day at the elementary and middle school levels.

All personal devices that come to school must be turned off and stay in backpacks at elementary schools, or in a locker at Middlesex Middle School throughout the day.

Devices that are not powered off, silenced or stored away are confiscated, and parents are required to pick up any confiscated devices at the end of the school day.

Students using a device for a clearly defined medical purpose are granted exceptions.

McGuire said 93.49 percent of MMS students have complied with the new guidelines, compared to 99.82 percent across the elementary level.

As of Oct. 22, 64 students had their devices taken once, possibly twice, McGuire said.

According to an online survey the district launched in October that sought feedback from the school community, 79 percent of parents believe the guidelines have had a positive impact on student focus and learning, and 16.2 percent said there's been no impact.

The survey showed 58.2 percent of parents believe the guidelines have a positive impact on their child's wellbeing, while 24.8 percent said there's been no impact. Close to 14 percent said they were unsure.

"Many parents strongly approve the policy, viewing it as beneficial to learning and social interaction," McGuire said, noting 272 parents responded to the survey. "Multiple parents expressed gratitude to the district for implementing these guidelines. Several mentioned it helps them in delaying getting devices for their children."

Additionally, 72.3 percent of parents said they were "very satisfied" with the guidelines, 13.8 percent were "satisfied," and 9.1 percent said they were "neutral."

Out of 847 students surveyed in grades 5-8, 70.3 percent said there's been no noticeable change in student social interactions. McGuire said 15.1 percent said the guidelines have improved student social interactions, while 14.6 percent said they've been negatively impacted.

With regards to the impact on focus and learning, 60.2 percent of students said there was no noticeable impact, 13.2 percent said there was a positive impact, 13.8 percent said they were unsure, and 12.8 percent said they were negatively impacted.

McGuire said there were a number of comments in the survey about students wanting time during the day when they could have access to personal devices.

"That approach is not supported by the recommendations outlined in the resources we used in developing this plan for students at the elementary and middle school level," McGuire said.

There were also themes of students wanting to use smartwatches, and some had concerns about safety or being able to communicate with parents throughout the day.

Out of the 109 staff members who responded to the survey, 88.1 percent said the rules are effective in minimizing distractions in the classroom.

McGuire said 78 percent of staff said the guidelines positively impacted student focus and learning. 43.1 percent said student and social interactions have been improved, while 56.9 percent said there's been no noticeable change.

According to the survey, 70.7 percent of staff said the guidelines are working, and 28.4 percent said they're unsure.

"Overall, the feedback was very positive from the staff, with some challenges articulated in enforcement and some suggestions for improvement around Chromebooks and communication with parents," McGuire added. "The general sentiment is that the policy has improved student focus and interactions while easing distractions caused by personal devices."

An advisory council of Darien High School students, parents, staff, and administrators has been meeting throughout the fall to evaluate high school practices related to cellphones and smartwatches.

The advisory council is expected to present its findings and recommendations for DHS in January.

Tuesday's Board of Education meeting was streamed via Zoom and broadcast via Darien TV79. You can watch the meeting on-demand here.