Keller ISD officials believe several proposals affecting cell phone use and dress code will make it easier for administrators and teachers to do their jobs.
Other policies will have a positive impact in codifying parents’ roles as the main decision makers in their child’s education, board President Charles Randklev said.
Several students, however, feel some would create an unsafe and discriminatory environment. One plan, students told the Fort Worth Report, would be difficult to consistently enforce — creating a cat-and-mouse game between students and teachers.
At a July 25 meeting where the district’s board reviewed 15 new policies, two in particular stood out to students and several Keller ISD residents who spoke out during the public comment portion of the meeting. One policy would give parents the right to be consulted and asked for permission before their children use a name other than the one provided on their birth certificate, and another would effectively ban cell phones, smart watches and other communication devices from the classroom.
The cell phone ban is “dystopian,” said Deshaun Young, an incoming senior at Keller ISD’s Timber Creek High School. The other proposal would harm a group of students who already have difficulties finding environments in which they can be themselves, Young said.
“These policies will restrict the support that teachers can give these students who are already vulnerable,” Young told the Fort Worth Report. “It seems with these policies that they really do not care for these students.”
The draft policies, which will come up for a vote in August, arrived weeks after Keller ISD trustees adopted a resolution denouncing the Biden administration’s change in Title IX language redefining “sex” to include “gender identity.” Board members claim the change, the subject of several lawsuits across Texas and the U.S., would strip girls and women of legal protections provided under Title IX.
“We are committed to protecting female students in our district,” Randklev said on Facebook in June.
‘Destroys the trust between students and teachers’
Young said one previewed policy would force some students to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to potentially unsupportive parents.
The policy, labeled “identification of students,” outlines guidelines for pronoun and name usage within the district. According to the policy, district staff are prohibited from using pronouns that do not align with a student’s biological sex as recorded on their birth certificate. There is one exception.
“Keller ISD personnel shall refer to a student by a name other than one on the student’s birth certificate, or by pronouns other than those appropriate to the biological sex appearing on the student’s official record, only if an eligible student or student’s parents has instructed Keller ISD in writing that such other name or pronoun be used,” the policy reads.
The policy mandates that parents be notified within 24 hours if their child requests to use a name or pronoun different from what is listed on their birth certificate, or if the child requests to use facilities that do not correspond with their biological sex. Parents must then OK the requested change.
Keller ISD trustees view the policy as a necessary step to ensure parents remain informed and involved in their children’s lives and education. Randklev said decisions like these influence students’ upbringing, care and moral values.
“Parents matter and it is clear their involvement makes better students, improves classroom culture and contributes to healthy family-school relationships,” Randklev said on Facebook before the meeting.
Keller resident Haley Stallaby spoke to the board July 25 in support of the new policy.
“This is a big win for the parents of our district,” Stallaby said. “Parents and guardians have the right to know what is being taught in their children’s classrooms and in students, clubs and organizations. Thank you for the transparency.”
Young’s friend and classmate, Danny Street, has used the first name Danny for three years now. Street said he is fortunate that his parents have grown more accepting of his gender identity, but that he knows about the mental health decline facing many transgender and queer teenagers.
Street questioned whether students should feel afraid to go to school. Outing students to their parents could result in abuse, making school a fearful place for those students, Street said.
“A lot of people who don’t have those accepting homes really won’t be able to express themselves at school anymore,” Street said.
This fear of being unable to be themselves extends to the relationship between students and teachers, Young said.
“The policy destroys any trust between students and teachers,” Young said.
Former Keller ISD engineering teacher Elizabeth Mitias, who has worked as an educator since 2006 before resigning from the district in February, also expressed concern about the policy’s impact on students and teachers.
“For one, just having to report it at all is detrimental to the most at-risk population,” Mitias said. “But, what are (teachers) supposed to do, immediately call them, make an email and destroy any kind of trust you had with that student if their parents are not supportive?”
The policy doesn’t yet outline the reporting process teachers will follow when a student requests a name or pronoun change, but Mitias said teachers may not have time within their planning periods to report it to the district in the 24-hour time frame. She wonders if a parent could potentially sue a teacher for not reporting a student’s request quickly enough.
“Teachers already don’t have enough time to deal with their existing responsibilities, let alone being required to report such sensitive information within 24 hours,” Mitias said. “There’s no clear framework set up for how to do it, and this adds another layer of stress and potential liability for educators.”
Cell phone policy
The school board also previewed a cell phone ban, aiming to reclaim the learning environment by prohibiting cell phone use during the school day, including during lunch and passing periods.
Superintendent Tracy Johnson provided data during the meeting showing that most disciplinary incidents across the district last school year were related to cell phone use.
“This is a nationwide epidemic,” she said.
Major school districts across the country, including Los Angeles and Cleveland, have begun banning cell phone use during the school day. Virginia, Florida, Indiana and Ohio are among the states that have adopted legislation or executive orders requiring districts to restrict cell phone use, citing its negative impact on youth mental health and academic outcomes.
Key points of Keller’s previewed cell phone policy include:
- Cell phones must be powered off and stored in bags, not on the student’s body.
- Usage is prohibited during instructional time, passing periods, lunch and during restroom breaks.
- Consequences escalate from detention to potential placement in alternative education programs for repeated violations.
The policy was developed with input from district teachers and is designed to reduce distractions and improve student engagement, Johnson said.
“We have the best teachers in this district, but at some point, you have to say we have to teach, you have to learn,” she said.
While Mitias does support a cell phone policy, acknowledging the issue of cell phone “addiction” among students, she criticized the policy’s punitive approach.
“The way to manage it is not through a system like this. It doesn’t work,” she said. Enforcement would be challenging, she said, requiring teachers to “police” students’ cell phone use even during passing periods and lunch.
“Now, it’s assigned another task for them to do,” she said.
Young said the ban would also disrupt communication for students involved in extracurricular activities.
“Electives like art, theater and band rely on cell phone usage to notify students about events and changes,” Young said. “Students need their phones for references and resources that they can’t access on school computers because of website restrictions.”
He also raised concerns about safety. His mom checks on his phone’s location throughout the day and would contact him if something’s awry.
“If a parent wants to track their child or just check if they’re OK, this policy makes it difficult,” he said. “Email is not a practical solution. Students use their phones to check email.”
Young also noted the potential for students to find ways around the ban. He said it’s likely many students will continue to disobey the policy, despite the consequences.
“Students might bring secondary devices or just refuse to give up their phones,” he said. “This policy isn’t teaching responsibility; it’s just creating more problems.”
Trustee Chris Coker said every teacher he’s talked to about the potential cell phone ban has been in support. While many teachers were already banning cell phones in their classrooms, there was never any enforcement or consequence levied against students who disobeyed.
“They think it will make their jobs substantially easier,” Coker said. “We’re doing this to help you as much as possible,” he told district staff and teachers.
Both policies, along with 13 others, will be considered for adoption during the board’s Aug. 22 meeting, Johnson said.
The board emphasized that the policies were only being previewed and trustees are open to feedback until then.
“It’s time to bring discipline back to Keller ISD again — and focus on education,” Coker said.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @MatthewSgroi1. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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