Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are reaching out to inform you that Cross County School District has been invited to participate as a control group in an important statewide evaluation regarding student mental health and cellphone use. This evaluation is being conducted by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas, in collaboration with Governor Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Education.

As a control group, we will continue to follow our existing cellphone policies, while some schools are piloting a phone-free program. As part of the study, students in grades 7-12 will be asked to complete a brief online survey in the fall and spring. This survey is designed to assess self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and social media use. Our participation will help compare the mental health of students in phone-free schools with those in schools like ours, where regular cellphone policies remain in place.

The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. Parental consent forms are linked in the box above and below title "Online Permission Slip". Please complete those as soon as possible. Additionally, we are sharing a letter from Governor Sanders that was originally sent to parents of students in the phone-free pilot program.

We appreciate your consideration in helping us contribute to this important research. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Dr. Nathan Morris
Superintendent, Cross County School District