Will kids be smart with phones?

Fox Point - Bayside Middle School students in grades seven and eight will soon have an opportunity to bring iPhones, iPads and other mobile electronic devices to class in limited instances.

The Fox Point-Bayside School Board on Monday approved a pilot initiative, known as Bring Your Own Device, for the upper-level middle-school students. The policy is optional and will require parents sign a permission slip that releases the district from responsibility if a device were to be broken at school.

District Administrator Rachel Boechler said the effort could have a number of benefits, including increasing student enthusiasm for learning and using 21st-century tools to augment traditional classroom activities. Teachers will be empowered to determine when mobile devices will be allowed in class.

"We have to teach our kids about digital citizenship, and this is an opportunity to do so," Boechler said. "Traditional learning will still be emphasized, but this will be an added tool."

Boechler and other administrators proposed Bring Your Own Device, in part, because of input from teachers.

"Currently, our students are bringing devices to school with increasing frequency, even though it is against the rules," Boechler said. "Teachers are asking for permission to allow students to use these devices as part of class to enhance learning."

Boechler said the mobile devices would be particularly beneficial when there is a technological component within a lesson. For class-wide assignments, technology would be made available to students without a device, she said.

During Monday's discussion, several board members expressed concern about the possibility of students using the electronic devices at inappropriate times.

"Kids are different," Bayside Principal Don Galster said. "It's hard to answer that with a one-size-fits-all answer."

Boechler said disciplinary issues could crop up, but she stressed that the policy could give students an opportunity to demonstrate responsible behavior.

"I would say 99 percent of our students will rise to the occasion," she said.

Students bringing devices to school will log into a network server as guests that is segregated from other networks that are accessed by staff members. In terms of infrastructure, Fox Point-Bayside does have adequate bandwidth to accommodate the Bayside students.

The policy, to be enacted in March, will run through the end of the school year. Boechler will meet with the School Board this summer to discuss how the pilot went, and decisions on its future will be made at that time.

Several other southeastern Wisconsin school districts have adopted similar policies, including Hartland Arrowhead, Mequon-Thiensville, New Berlin and Pewaukee.