BOISE – In an effort to reduce classroom distractions, Idaho Governor Brad Little and Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield introduced Executive Order 2024-11, titled the “Phone Free Learning Act.” This new policy aims to encourage Idaho schools to implement restrictions on cell phone use by the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. Schools adopting this policy will receive a one-time award of $5,000.
Governor Little emphasized the growing concern over cell phones in the classroom, stating, “When kids are more concerned about what’s happening on their cell phones than what they are learning in class, we need to respond.” Superintendent Critchfield highlighted research indicating that cell phones affect students’ focus and brain development, expressing that such policies are a step toward improved academic success.
Addilyn Lewis, a senior from Owyhee High School, spoke in favor of the initiative, sharing her experience with a phone-free policy in her school. “My grades have gone up, and I feel more productive,” she said. Parents in the West Ada School District, where phone restrictions are already in place, also shared positive feedback, noting improved grades and focus among students.
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The initiative signals potential future collaboration with the Idaho Legislature to establish a more permanent statewide policy on cell phone use in schools.
The Phone Free Learning Act can be found at this link: https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/eo-2024-11.pdf
Dr. Greg McElwain, Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Religious Studies at The College of Idaho, has been awarded a Barker Fellowship from Durham University in the United Kingdom. The fellowship is a prestigious, one-month residential award that supports scholars at all career stages in conducting original research using Durham’s libraries and archives.
During his fellowship next summer, Dr. McElwain will work in Durham’s historic Palace Green Library, where he will access the Mary and Geoff Midgley Papers collection. Using correspondence, publication manuscripts, research notes, and other materials, he will advance his forthcoming book, Mary Midgley on What Matters: Conversations on Science, Ethics, and Nature (Bloomsbury, 2026), and develop a high-quality companion website to complement the work.
The Barker Fellowship recognizes scholars who are expanding the frontiers of knowledge through archival research and intellectual collaboration. Dr. McElwain’s work at Durham continues his longstanding commitment to exploring the intersections of science, ethics, and the natural world.
OrthoPro at 3438 South 15th East, Suite 100, in Idaho Falls provides custom prosthetics and mastectomy products for customers. In the video above, Christine Miller shows what the breast replacement products are like. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
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IDAHO FALLS
Idaho Falls couple behind prosthetics and mastectomy business say it’s a joy to serve customers
Rod and Christine Miller are the faces behind OrthoPro in Idaho Falls. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
IDAHO FALLS – Helping people improve the quality of their lives is a cause that brings Rod and Christine Miller a lot of joy.
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They are the faces behind OrthoPro, a business that provides customized prosthetic limbs and mastectomy products. It opened in September at 3438 South 15th East, Suite 100, in Idaho Falls.
Christine tells EastIdahoNews.com she’s thrilled to be one of only two mastectomy fitters in the state and explains more about what they offer.
“There are shops that sell some of the pocketed bras, but none of them are certified (by prosthetic, orthotic and mastectomy practitioners),” Christine says. “I (primarily) do off-the-shelf (products). I can do custom, if off-the-shelf doesn’t work. Rod’s expertise is that he can do custom fit (braces or prosthetics).”
Rod says the certifications from the American Board of Certification for Prosthetics and Orthotics and the Board of Certification is a big deal because it requires continual education and experience.
Christine says patients in need of mastectomy products are often unaware of what options are available. Educating people about it is her passion. See what it’s like in the video above.
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Prosthetic leg and other products available at OrthoPro in Idaho Falls. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
There are limited options for this service in eastern Idaho and that’s what prompted them to open a business in Idaho Falls.
Although the couple have ties to the area, they were the owners of OrthoPro in Carson City, Nevada, for 25 years. Michael Johnson recently launched the company in Twin Falls, and the Millers sold the Nevada business to work for him and launch an Idaho Falls branch.
“Mike and Stacey up in Twin Falls knew that I had come to the end of that journey. I have family in Rigby, which includes three grandkids. They said, ‘How would you like to come and work for us?’ We said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Rod says.
The seeds for Rod’s interest in this profession stem back to his childhood. His dad was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic in his mid-30s because of exposure to Agent Orange, a chemical used by the U.S. during the Vietnam War.
Rod’s dad served in the Navy for 24 years. The exposure to the toxic chemicals damaged his immune system. His body started attacking vital organs as a result. His pancreas was destroyed, which stopped the production of insulin. He was eventually diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
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“A lot of diabetics end up becoming amputees. They often lose sensation in their feet due to circulatory problems because of high blood sugar,” Christine explains.
Rod’s dad never lost a limb, but making prosthetics for veterans became a cause he was passionate about during retirement.
Rod’s upbringing made him interested in health science. When he started college, he decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
Cosmetic cover for a prosthetic hand at OrthoPro in Idaho Falls. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Decades later, Rod says it’s been a joy to help change people’s lives for the better. He starts to tear up as he recalls people he’s helped over the years.
“We watch them go from dragging their foot when they come in to looking around as they walk out because they no longer have to stare at the ground and worry about walking on it,” he says.
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Christine expresses a similar sentiment, but with a caveat.
“My job brings some joy to women, but it’s not life-changing. They can get by without it. I like to say I can scatter sunshine,” she says.
The Idaho Falls office is currently open on a part-time basis because the Millers serve clients in Twin Falls two days a week. They’re hoping to have a full-time presence in Idaho Falls soon.
To schedule an appointment or learn more, call (208) 733-0505. You can also visit the website.
OrthoPro at 3438 South 15th East, Suite 100 in Idaho Falls | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
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The State Board headcounts include full- and part-time degree-seeking students, and career-technical students. They do not include dual-credit enrollment: high school students taking college classes.
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The new headcounts show a continued surge, after Idaho colleges and universities recovered from an enrollment decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. Headcount is up 19.1% since fall 2020.
Colleges and universities must file fall enrollment reports with the State Board by Oct. 15. The State Board provided this data to Idaho Education News on Friday.
However, college and university leaders have already been touting highlights from their fall numbers: a record in-state freshman class at Boise State; Idaho State’s highest enrollment in 13 years; record undergraduate enrollment at the U of I; and LC State headcount surpassing 4,000 for the first time in school history.
A heightened sense of urgency surrounds the 2025 enrollment report. College administrators in Idaho and across the nation have long been bracing for a “demographic cliff” — a dwindling number of college-aged students, resulting from lower birth rates during the Great Recession.
This demographic dropoff hasn’t hit yet, in Idaho or nationally. According to a National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report issued Tuesday, higher education enrollment is up by 2% nationally.
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Nationally, enrollment at four-year schools is up by 1.9%, while community college enrollment is up by 4%. Idaho’s enrollment is up by 4.2% across the board, at four-year schools and community colleges alike.
Idaho Education News is a nonprofit supported on grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, the Education Writers Association and the Solutions Journalism Network.
