As part of our focus on academic and healthy social development, Hutchinson currently implements a no cell phone policy.  Students are prohibited from using their cell phones on campus during the day. Students spend a significant part of their day on an iPad for their classes and this policy helps students minimize their screen time so their brains can rest and recover. We recognize that phones are a necessary tool for all families; however, they can also be a major distraction to learning as phones often become a vehicle for students to communicate during school hours through social media and/or texting. Therefore, we require that cell phones must be OFF (no silent mode or vibrating mode) from the time they enter campus until 3:00 p.m. Phones should be kept in backpacks at all times. During PE, it is recommended that cell phones be secured in lockers instead of the backpack. If you need to get in touch with your student, please contact the office. If your student needs to contact you, they may use the office phone. If a student uses their cell phone during the school day, it will be confiscated and progressive discipline measures will be taken, including parent picking up device from the office afterschool.

This policy addresses the distractions and interpersonal conflicts that many students experience in middle school. Nearly all of the negative issues on campus are traced back to unmonitored social media use. Most middle school students are not emotionally mature enough to manage the vast content of social media and they are deeply affected by what they read about themselves or their friends. Even minimal use of unmonitored social media can culminate in verbal and physical conflicts on campus. As such, we must take the necessary steps to increase students focus on their academic progress and decrease the distractions in their lives. Legislation has been passed at the state level (AB 272, Muratsuchi) to ban cell phones from all campuses in California to address the negative impact of smartphones on the development of teenagers.

Our students have many things competing for their time and their attention. Technology can be a great benefit for education and a huge distraction to an adolescent’s personal development. Our goal is to help students disengage from their phones and to re-engage with their family and friends on a more personal basis. We also want to protect your investment and ask that students do not carry their phones in their pockets as these often get lost or damaged. School personnel is NOT responsible for any personal device/electronic/phone item which is lost, damaged, or stolen as they are not recommended to be on campus. We ask for your support in enforcing this policy.

We hope this cell phone policy will benefit our students both academically and social-emotionally.

We thank you for your support with this policy and we look forward to positive interactions on campus.