The Kent School District comprehensive high schools (Kentwood, Kentridge, Kentlake, and Kent-Meridian) will implement a districtwide cell phone policy to support and enhance student learning and mental health in the 2025-2026 school year.
The Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, published guidance in August of 2024 that emphasizes the importance of limiting cell phone use during instructional time to create a more focused and productive educational environment. Research consistently shows that reducing cell phone use in classrooms improves concentration, learning outcomes, and overall mental and physical health, while also alleviating social media pressures.
By adopting this policy, comprehensive high schools aim to foster a conducive learning atmosphere, ensuring that students can fully engage with their education and benefit from a lower distraction classroom experience. Across all Kent comprehensive high schools, when students enter the classroom, cell phones will be secured away from the student. On the first day of school, each teacher will instruct students on the classroom specific procedures for stowing cellphones in the classroom, and the process for the return of cell phones to the students at the end of class.
It is our schools’ sincere hope to continue to create a strong learning-focused environment. Removing cellphone use during instructional time will assist our students in maintaining a strong focus on classroom instruction, engaging with their peers around their learning, and minimizing outside distractions. A Cell Phone Question and Answer link which addresses topics like cell phone use for accommodations, use in emergency situations, and other issues will appear on our websites towards the end of summer to provide our communities with more specific information and links to the research guiding our decisions. In addition, watch for a series of communications throughout the summer on the details of this new practice across our comprehensive high schools.