Embracing a Policy Alternative

Soon after I arrived to Hattiesburg in February, I started riding the bus each morning to speak with students and get their input on our district and policies. Students repeatedly mentioned the district’s cell phone policy as an issue. My first meeting with the district’s student advisory council found the same thing. The students there also brought up as issues around the cell phone policy, and they suggested ideas about using them in class. After these meetings, I did some research about our discipline data and alternative cell phone policies in other districts.

At the start of this school year, I met with the district’s principals and administrators to discuss my thoughts about our district cell phone policy.  I felt that cell phones are a part of daily life and that we need to find ways to embrace them in constructive ways. I also felt we needed to stop spending so much time trying to keep students from having them. After the meeting, the principals agreed to allow secondary students to have cell phones at school. They are not to use them during class, but there is no penalty for simply having a phone at school at Hattiesburg High or N.R. Burger.

The flip side of this is that these little handheld computers can now be put to use for instruction! At Hattiesburg High some of our teachers have taken the initiative and incorporated using cell phones into some of their lessons. Students can browse the web as part of an assignment and send in responses via texting, etc.

By taking the focus off cell phones, staff and administrators can focus on discipline issues that really matter. Students understand the policy and principals report that very few students have violated the new policy. This idea just seemed to make sense for our students in a technology-dependent society.

James Q. Bacchus

Serving the Needs of Our Students

In order to educate children today, we have to meet the needs of the whole child. In Hattiesburg Public Schools we have formed many partnerships to address the needs of our children, both in the classroom and elsewhere, to help them be better able to learn. These partnerships help bridge the gaps related to mental health, physical well-being, social and emotional development, dental health and basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. These needs must be met or addressed in order for teaching and learning to take place.

In education, we operate in a world that is heavily tested and measured by scores and outcomes. This often can lead people to think only of a school and students in terms of their scores. But, if we want our students to perform well and maintain a high score, we must first tackle the obstacles that exist in their lives that hinder learning. In order to do that I have recently changed the focus of our school counselors, so that they can help connect some of the various support available in the schools and the community to the students who need that service and support. Our counselors had previously been used as test coordinators, among other things, for schools, but no longer! I want our counselors to be able to focus on serving children and their many needs. Their excitement and enthusiasm at this new change tells me they agree. When students are healthy and feel good about themselves, their focus can be on learning and great things can happen in the classroom.

James Q. Bacchus

Preparing for Tomorrow

“Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders!” is the motto for Hattiesburg Public Schools. Economic forecasters have stated that 65% of the jobs we are educating our eighth graders for today haven’t even been created yet. The state of Mississippi has taken a giant step forward by being one of the 45 states to adopt the Common Core State Standard (CCSS). The CCSS will support preparing students for college and career readiness, global competition, clarity and consistency on what is taught, equity that all students will be taught the same things, and requires collaboration among states, districts and community agencies. In order for us to prepare our learners today for leading tomorrow, we must engage them in their learning. Hats off to Ms. Aderholdt and Ms. Saucier, first grade teachers at Hawkins Elementary School, for bringing their students' reading to life by inviting Japanese students and their instructor from the University of Southern Mississippi to their class to share some cultural aspects related to the story the students read in class. It is the planning and engagement of teachers like this that will embrace the CCSS and prepare our students for tomorrow.


James Q. Bacchus