Bozeman Adds New Phone Requirement For High School Students

Bozeman Students Now Have To Install An App to Bring Phones To School

Imagine being a student walking up to school on the first day and then being told you have to install an app on your phone before you can even enter.

That's what students in the Bozeman School District encountered this year, and opinions are still being formed.

What The Commons App Actually Does To Student Phones

According to Montana Right Now, Bozeman School District 7 is requiring high school students who bring their phones into school buildings to install an app called The Commons.

What The Commons does is basically make your smartphone dumb once you step onto school grounds.

It prevents students from using social media, YouTube, or pretty much any website, while still allowing them to make phone calls and send text messages.

Staff say this was a compromise between students and parents who wanted to be able to stay in contact with their kids. Before this, the district had a "no phones" policy. Still, some parents have concerns.

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Parents Want To Know What The Commons App Can Track

William McDonald, a parent of a Bozeman student, was concerned about privacy and location access. Superintendent Casey Bertram says the district isn't tracking students' exact locations. The app is only supposed to determine whether a cell phone is inside the school's geofence.

And Bozeman isn't alone. Several Montana school districts, including those in Great Falls, Billings, Helena, Missoula, Kalispell, and Butte, already have rules restricting student phone use.

So what do you think when it comes to cell phones in schools? Voice your opinion here.