News

Should Missoula’s Schools Be Smartphone Free? Please take the Survey

June 9, 2024 /

MATR Sponsor (view all)

Bear Paw Development Corporation is a private non-profit organization created for the purpose of administering programs to help improve regional economic conditions in Hill, Blaine, Liberty, Chouteau and Phillips Counties and the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy's Indian Reservations.

A community petition to remove smartphones from MCPS schools will be presented to the MCPS school board this summer with a goal of instating a smartphone-free policy prior to the 2024-2025 school year. Before the petition is officially circulated, we want to determine what MCPS parents and teachers think about what the impact of smartphone-free schools on MCPS schools, teachers, and administrators will be.

We have already solicited feedback from teachers and believe soliciting feedback from parents who will work with their children at home on new policies is also very important. If you are unfamiliar with the negative effects of smartphones on children, pre-teens, and teens, start here prior to taking the survey: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book and https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf and news coverage on smartphone bans internationally.

I know it’s a busy time of year, but PLEASE complete the survey below by June 10 so we can ensure your voice is heard as we approach the school board. We appreciate you being as candid as possible and thank you for your insights. Also, please note, if you provide your contact information, we will not attach that information to any survey results, it will only be used for future communications about this issue.

Here is a link to the survey: https://forms.gle/cEaMYfbitD9GWvV66

THANK YOU! Please share with other MCPS parents!

Want to go back in time? Visit a school where cellphones are banned.

All that screen time is bad for adolescent mental health. Cellphone use jeopardizes social interaction and weaponizes bullying. Cellphones are also distracting. Even when they’re not being used, they’re sitting at the ready in pockets and backpacks saying, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Look at me!” That makes it tough to concentrate on anything, let alone Applied Geometry. Indeed, research finds a correlation between cellphone use and lower grades and test scores.

Maybe they’re not learning to regulate their phone use. But they are learning that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to have someone else take it out of your hands.