四虎影院

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鈥� roles as the main decision makers in their child鈥檚 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 鈥� creating a cat-and-mouse game between students and teachers.

At a July 25 meeting where the district鈥檚 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 鈥渄ystopian,鈥� said Deshaun Young, an incoming senior at Keller ISD鈥檚 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.

鈥淭hese policies will restrict the support that teachers can give these students who are already vulnerable,鈥� Young told the Fort Worth Report. 鈥淚t seems with these policies that they really do not care for these students.鈥�

The draft policies, which will come up for a vote in August, arrived weeks after Keller ISD trustees the Biden administration鈥檚 change in Title IX language redefining 鈥渟ex鈥� to include 鈥済ender identity.鈥� 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.

鈥淲e are committed to protecting female students in our district,鈥� Randklev said on Facebook in June.

Young said one previewed policy would force some students to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to potentially unsupportive parents.

The policy, labeled 鈥渋dentification of students,鈥� 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鈥檚 biological sex as recorded on their birth certificate. There is one exception.

鈥淜eller ISD personnel shall refer to a student by a name other than one on the student鈥檚 birth certificate, or by pronouns other than those appropriate to the biological sex appearing on the student鈥檚 official record, only if an eligible student or student鈥檚 parents has instructed Keller ISD in writing that such other name or pronoun be used,鈥� 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鈥檚 lives and education. Randklev said decisions like these influence students鈥� upbringing, care and moral values.

鈥淧arents matter and it is clear their involvement makes better students, improves classroom culture and contributes to healthy family-school relationships,鈥� Randklev said on Facebook before the meeting.

Keller resident Haley Stallaby spoke to the board July 25 in support of the new policy.

鈥淭his is a big win for the parents of our district,鈥� Stallaby said. 鈥淧arents and guardians have the right to know what is being taught in their children鈥檚 classrooms and in students, clubs and organizations. Thank you for the transparency.鈥�

Young鈥檚 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.

鈥淎 lot of people who don鈥檛 have those accepting homes really won鈥檛 be able to express themselves at school anymore,鈥� Street said.

This fear of being unable to be themselves extends to the relationship between students and teachers, Young said.

鈥淭he policy destroys any trust between students and teachers,鈥� Young said.

Former Keller ISD engineering teacher Elizabeth Mitias, who has worked as an educator since 2006 before , also expressed concern about the policy鈥檚 impact on students and teachers.

鈥淔or one, just having to report it at all is detrimental to the most at-risk population,鈥� Mitias said. 鈥淏ut, 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?鈥�

The policy doesn鈥檛 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鈥檚 request quickly enough.

鈥淭eachers already don鈥檛 have enough time to deal with their existing responsibilities, let alone being required to report such sensitive information within 24 hours,鈥� Mitias said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no clear framework set up for how to do it, and this adds another layer of stress and potential liability for educators.鈥�

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.

鈥淭his is a nationwide epidemic,鈥� she said.

Major school districts across the country, including and , have begun banning cell phone use during the school day. Virginia, Florida, Indiana and Ohio are 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鈥檚 previewed cell phone policy include:

• Cell phones must be powered off and stored in bags, not on the student鈥檚 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.

鈥淲e have the best teachers in this district, but at some point, you have to say we have to teach, you have to learn,鈥� she said.

While Mitias does support a cell phone policy, acknowledging the issue of cell phone 鈥渁ddiction鈥� among students, she criticized the policy鈥檚 punitive approach.

鈥淭he way to manage it is not through a system like this. It doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� she said. Enforcement would be challenging, she said, requiring teachers to 鈥減olice鈥� students鈥� cell phone use even during passing periods and lunch.

鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 assigned another task for them to do,鈥� she said.

Young said the ban would also disrupt communication for students involved in extracurricular activities.

鈥淓lectives like art, theater and band rely on cell phone usage to notify students about events and changes,鈥� Young said. 鈥淪tudents need their phones for references and resources that they can鈥檛 access on school computers because of website restrictions.鈥�

He also raised concerns about safety. His mom checks on his phone鈥檚 location throughout the day and would contact him if something鈥檚 awry.

鈥淚f a parent wants to track their child or just check if they鈥檙e OK, this policy makes it difficult,鈥� he said. 鈥淓mail is not a practical solution. Students use their phones to check email.鈥�

Young also noted the potential for students to find ways around the ban. He said it鈥檚 likely many students will continue to disobey the policy, despite the consequences.

鈥淪tudents might bring secondary devices or just refuse to give up their phones,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his policy isn鈥檛 teaching responsibility; it鈥檚 just creating more problems.鈥�

Trustee Chris Coker said every teacher he鈥檚 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.

鈥淭hey think it will make their jobs substantially easier,鈥� Coker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing this to help you as much as possible,鈥� he told district staff and teachers.

Both policies, along with 13 others, will be considered for adoption during the board鈥檚 Aug. 22 meeting, Johnson said.

The board emphasized that the policies were only being previewed and trustees are open to feedback until then.

鈥淚t鈥檚 time to bring discipline back to Keller ISD again 鈥� and focus on education,鈥� Coker said.

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or . At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .

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