A Smarter Approach to Phone-Free Schools

We, the undersigned parents, students, educators, and community members, respectfully ask the Bristol Warren Regional School District and Bristol Warren Regional School Committee to formally evaluate LockedIn, a software-based student phone management system, and consider implementing a pilot program within BWRSD.

Rhode Island now requires public schools to maintain policies restricting students’ physical access to personal electronic devices during the school day. We support the goal of reducing classroom distractions and creating an environment where students can focus on learning.

However, we believe there may be a better way to accomplish that goal than relying exclusively on physical phone pouches, lockers, confiscation, or teachers having to enforce phone rules classroom by classroom.

Keep the Phone. Remove the Distraction.

LockedIn is designed to restrict access to distracting phone functions during the school day while allowing students to retain possession of their devices.

The system offers features including:

• Automatic phone restrictions based on school hours and location
• Support for both iPhone and Android devices
• Administrative monitoring and compliance tools
• Detection of attempts to circumvent restrictions
• The ability to maintain access to approved or essential functions
• Emergency unlocking capabilities
• No physical pouches, collection bins, or phone lockers required

A technology-based solution could potentially reduce classroom conflicts over phones while allowing teachers to spend more time teaching instead of policing devices.

Safety Matters

Parents understandably want to know that their children can access their phones when genuinely necessary.

Any phone-free policy must balance classroom focus with student safety, medical needs, accessibility requirements, and emergency communication.

Before adopting any system, BWRSD should carefully evaluate its emergency procedures, accessibility accommodations, student-data protections, technical reliability, costs, and the ability of parents and students to communicate appropriately when necessary.

We’re Asking for an Evaluation — Not Blind Adoption

We ask the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee and administration to:

1. Invite LockedIn to provide a public demonstration of its platform.
2. Obtain detailed information regarding pricing, privacy, security, accessibility, emergency access, and implementation.
3. Compare LockedIn with physical phone-storage solutions and the district’s existing phone policy.
4. Seek feedback from parents, students, teachers, administrators, and technology staff.
5. Consider conducting a limited pilot program within BWRSD.
6. Publish the results of that pilot and determine whether district-wide implementation would benefit Bristol and Warren students.

Technology created the modern classroom phone problem.

Technology may also provide a better solution.

We ask BWRSD to give LockedIn a fair and transparent evaluation and explore whether it can help create focused classrooms without unnecessarily separating students from their devices.

Please sign this petition if you believe the Bristol Warren Regional School District should explore a smarter approach to creating phone-free schools.

http://lockedinapp.co/