The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees took a final vote this week to restrict student usage of cellphones and other electronic devices on elementary, middle and high school campuses beginning next school year.

The new policy, approved by a unanimous vote Tuesday, takes a bifurcated approach. Elementary and middle school students will generally be prohibited from using “cellular phones and other electronic signaling and listening devices” — e.g., AirPods — during the instructional day. High school students will only be prohibited from using their devices during instructional time.

Previously, the district allowed classroom use of smartphones at the teacher’s discretion.

Cell phone usage in schools is a major source of concern for educators, lawmakers and health professionals, and states and school districts across the country have taken up smartphone bans. Missoula’s effort began last year, when a community group of parents and educators began researching the impacts of smartphones in schools and advocating for a district policy to restrict use. Last October, the district issued a survey to staff, students and parents inquiring about current policy, enforcement and possible revisions. While the results were varied and sometimes contradictory — for example, 95 percent of staff said they follow district policy while only 74 percent said that other staff in their buildings enforce the policy consistently — more than 60 percent of parents supported a stricter cell phone policy.

More than 70 percent of U.S. high school teachers polled by the Pew Research Center last year said cell phone distraction is a major problem in their classrooms.

The resulting policy is substantially stricter than what the district used before but still leaves some room for students and staff to navigate the gray areas of school policy enforcement. For example, while middle schoolers must turn their phones off and put them away before school, students with special medical conditions can seek approval to use their devices, and staff can request building administrator permission to use devices as instructional tools. In addition to medical exemptions, high school students may request approval to use their devices for “other compelling reasons.” In all cases, students who violate the policy will have their devices confiscated and returned to them at the end of the school day.

Concern about phones in classrooms stems not only from the potential distraction but also the impact of social media on student mental health, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 70 percent of U.S. high school teachers polled by the Pew Research Center last year said cell phone distraction is a major problem in their classrooms.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has joined the chorus of concern. Last year, he asked Montana school board trustees and administrators to adopt policies restricting cell phone use on campus.

“Given the gravity of the situation, I ask you, and all school districts throughout our state, to consider adopting policies that create ‘cell phone-free’ schools,” the governor wrote last August. “Schools across the country that have enacted policies to make schools ‘cell phone-free’ have seen increased student engagement and improved academic outcomes.”

One parent who submitted public comment before Tuesday’s meeting said the new policy doesn’t go far enough, and that high school students should also be prevented from using cell phones throughout the entire school day.

“If you feel there is some compelling reason that a policy of ‘away for the day’ is unworkable, then I urge you to at least limit their use to lunch period only,” the commenter, Porter Hammitt, said. “Let’s at least encourage kids to not have their heads buried in their screens and be interacting with their fellow humans … as they walk the halls.”

Missoula judge rules gender-affirming care ban unconstitutional

A state district court judge in Missoula ruled on Tuesday that a 2023 state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors violates the privacy, equal protection and free speech rights guaranteed by the Montana Constitution.

Judge Jason Marks wrote that the state failed to meet the high evidentiary standards required to demonstrate that the restrictions contained in 2023’s Senate Bill 99 are narrowly tailored and address a “bona fide health risk.”

“[State attorneys] have not put forth any evidence showing major medical organizations in the United States have changed their stance on gender-affirming medical care,” Marks wrote. “Instead, they argue that no medical consensus exists on the benefits of gender-affirming care. This is the incorrect standard. The question is whether a medically acknowledged, bona fide health risk exists.”

SB 99 was passed by 2023’s supermajority Republican legislature and quickly challenged in court by transgender youth, their parents and healthcare providers. The law not only restricted access to healthcare but also created a private right of action against medical providers for up to 25 years following treatment. The law also banned providers from referring patients for gender-affirming treatment even out of state, which Marks ruled constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.

“I will never understand why my representatives worked so hard to strip me of my rights and the rights of other transgender kids.”

The law was already temporarily enjoined by the court from taking effect. This ruling decides the matter at the district court level, though the state can appeal Marks’ ruling to the state supreme court, notes the Montana Free Press’ Mara Silvers.

“I will never understand why my representatives worked so hard to strip me of my rights and the rights of other transgender kids,” Phoebe Cross, a 17-year-old transgender boy and one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana. “It’s great that the courts, including the Montana Supreme Court, have seen this law for what it was, discriminatory, and today have thrown it out for good. Just living as a trans teenager is difficult enough, the last thing me and my peers need is to have our rights taken away.”

The ledger #️⃣

8

The number of Johnson Street Shelter residents — out of the sometimes well more than 100 who sleep there on a given night — who have been connected with family or stable housing with money from the city’s housing sprint fund, city staff told council members Wednesday. Five of the residents were connected with family while three were placed in permanent housing. The city is closing the shelter in August, citing financial constraints.

The week ahead 🗓️

The Montana Redevelopment Agency meets May 15 at 12:00 p.m. Among other items, the agency’s staff attorney will offer an opinion on the legality of a proposed transfer of MRA funds to support the housing sprint designed to house residents of the soon-closing Johnson Street shelter.

Find a list of all upcoming city meetings here and county meetings here.