WCCF is delighted to partner with our School District 51 to support leaders and initiatives in our communities that are attracting statewide recognition. Last week, we participated in a local roundtable forum with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who praised School District 51 for its the new cell phone ban and successful implementation which is proving a model for other districts considering similar policies. Outside school hours, our Community Foundation is working on promoting health habits for smartphone use with parents and caregivers of infants and babies, families with older children and the general community through a series of activities we are collectively calling Heads Up Phones Down. Read more in this article published by the Daily Sentinel.
“If our kids are struggling and suffering, they’re not learning. If they’re not learning, our future’s in trouble.”
That statement by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser at a roundtable of Mesa County Valley School District 51 leaders Friday afternoon summarized his motivation for being proactive in mitigating the affect of social media and cellphones on the youth of today.
At the Grand Junction High School library, Weiser was joined by D51 Superintendent Brian Hill, all five local high school principals, four of five members of the D51 Board of Education, Anne Wenzel and Sarah Fuller of the Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF), Colorado Mesa University President John Marshall, a couple of students and one D51 parent.
The topic of discussion: District 51’s newly implemented cellphone policy — “More Social, Less Media” — that began this fall, which bans phones in classes for high school students and removes K-8 students from their phones all day. Weiser heard about the district’s success in implementing the policy as well as the various phone storage methods being used across the district. He said the district was ahead of the curve on the issue among Colorado school districts amidst what he called a “connection crisis.”
“I’m thrilled by your leadership here at District 51, not allowing these phones to undermine your learning environment, encouraging young people to develop relationships,” Weiser said.
