What Educators Have to Say About Parents Texting and Calling Their Kids During School

   The use of students' smartphones is out of control, and they struggle to put them away as instructed. Parents text (and sometimes call) their students at times they know their child is in school/class and this is disruptive to the learning environment. At lunch, the school cafeteria is full of middle school students fully engrossed in activities on their phone rather than engaging in conversation or activities with peers. The phone obsession of this generation makes me sad for them.

   While our school has a policy that student phones must be turned off and put away during the school day, we regularly have students’ phones make noises (meaning they are not off) and most often when students get the phones out to turn them off, the notifications are from a call or text from a parent.

   We need parents to stop interacting with their children throughout the day on their phones. It is a distraction to everyone.

   We don't allow cellphones in the classroom. However, with smartwatches, students are still able to receive text messages during class periods. This creates distraction for them during instruction.

   While smartphones offer numerous benefits, their presence in schools has undoubtedly introduced challenges to maintaining a conducive learning environment. Implementing effective policies and strategies to mitigate these distractions is crucial in ensuring that students can fully engage with their education.

   Students who think that they are sneaky and keep their phone in their pockets often get texts from family members during class and become argumentative when asked to put the phone in their lockers. Students argue that they need to be able to be in contact with their family because they need to know about car rider status, sports activities, or other activities after school. Students argue that their parents need to get hold of them during the day to keep up with the status of day-to-day activities. Parents feel that they can make the decisions about technology and their student's use of the technology throughout the day, even if it means being a disruption to the class.

   Cellphones are one of the biggest issues in schools. They have taken over and our kids struggle to function without them. This has led to far more issues, and it is a fight every day. The parents do little to support us.

   We had a parent call the counseling office as a result of her daughter not responding to her text messages in class. The parent expected us to call her daughter to the phone to talk to her about the messages her mother was receiving on her phone.

   Our students must keep their cellphones in their lockers. Despite this school rule, some parents INSIST students keep their phones with them, telling them it is OK to break school rules.

   Parents needing to be in constant communication with their child is a problem.

   I have a student with an IEP for anxiety whose mother texts him via an Apple Watch several times a day. He wants to call her back every time. This distracts him from learning whether he is allowed to call her back or not.

   We don't allow cellphones during the school day, and parents are mad about it. The parents throw a total fit when we confiscate a phone because a kid spent 10 minutes of class time texting the parent from the bathroom.

   We have a no-phone policy during class time. It is frequently that we have students with phones out using the excuse that a parent is texting them during class. This has been difficult to monitor.

   Parents will regularly call the school concerned their child is not answering a message sent via phone even though they know their child is not to be using their phone during the school day unless they ask.

   While cellphones can be a useful tool for students to use, if they are in a 1-1 technology setting, there is absolutely no need for them to have their phone. Parents not understanding the impact of their communication during school hours is disrespectful and perpetuates that disrespect in their student.

   I went to tell a student that her early dismissal was cancelled. … She already knew because mom had texted her on her watch. This is not allowed in our elementary school.

   Phones are a HUGE problem in the classroom. Even with district policies prohibiting them, they are still everywhere.

   Our campus has set in place a no-cellphone policy in which students cannot have their cellphones out at any time during the school day. I have had parents text or call their students during school, and sometimes the student will answer and I will tell the student to hang up, and their response is, "But it is my mom or dad and I have to talk to them." My response is hang up and give me your phone and the student refuses.

   Students stop learning because their parents have called them during class.

   The elimination of phones in the high school setting has been impossible, despite an effort to promote 'off and away all day.'

   Cellphone use has actually been better this school year. Both high schools implemented rules that have impacted distractions/limiting them.

   Students are allowed to keep their cellphones at this school. There has never been a bigger hindrance to instruction. If you attempt to take phones from students, their parents get involved and make an issue of their child not having their phone available at all times. No matter how much you emphasize not having your phone out during class, I spend a good bit of time trying to wrangle students into putting phones away. The majority of the time when I do ask that the phones be put away, I get an answer of, 'but I am texting my mom;' It is a no-win situation and I feel education overall at this school suffers greatly because of cellphones.

   Our school doesn't allow students to have their cellphones with them during the day so we don't have a lot of problems with them in the classroom.