Cell Phone Procedure

2024-25 Student Cell Phone Procedure

The Woodland Hills High School administration team has spent the last few months meeting with students, parents, teachers, and district administration regarding student cell phone use at the high school. In response, the school board has approved our plan to modify how we enforce the existing policy at the high school for the upcoming school year.

This page will be updated throughout the weeks and months leading up to the start of the 2024-25 school year. We will communicate regularly throughout the process so all students and their families know what to expect on a daily basis throughout the year.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO NOTE

The high school administration is not changing the policy that was in place, but modifying its enforcement of the existing policy. Cell phones are incredible tools that can aid in the education of our students, but they also can serve as distractions in the classroom that disrupt the enriching educational environment we strive to have in place for all of our students.

This is not a punishment. It is an opportunity to help our students refocus on the education they receive throughout the school day.

Student cell phones will be collected each morning and they will be stored in a secure location for the duration of the school day. Students will retrieve their phones at the end of the day based on their location for their final class period.

The high school administration is committed to making Woodland Hills High School the best it can be and providing the best education possible to our scholars. We are making strides to improve our outcomes and we can see positive change. This is just one more step in closing the achievement gap.

We will continue to communicate updates as we work through the finer details of this process.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON A DAILY BASIS

All high school students will go through the following procedure as they enter the building each school day:

Students will enter the building in the morning based on their 8th period class
Students will pass through security and place their phones/electronic device in the appropriate 8th period container.
There will be staff at each entrance to monitor the containers and to remind students to turn in their devices.
If they have a scheduled early dismissal, they will enter the main door and give their phone to office personnel.
After all students are in the building, the containers will be stored in a secure, locked area. This process is to help prevent theft/damage to the devices. At the end of the school day, the containers will be delivered to the 8th period teacher.
At dismissal, teachers will open the storage containers for students to get their phones/electronic devices as they exit the classroom.

More information will be provided in the ensuing weeks and months as the school year gets closer.

COMMUNICATION UPDATES

High school teachers met with students in May to have a conversation about the upcoming changes to the cell phone procedures. The teachers collected feedback from the students, which the administrative team will use to help make these changes as smoothly as possible.
Families with students in grades 6-11 received the following postcard in mid-May as part of the first round of communication regarding the cell phone procedures for the 2024-25 school year.

The high school administration also distributed this flyer with reminders about the procedures throughout the summer.