Elementary and middle school students will not be allowed to use cell phones on school campuses during the school day, WSMV reports:
The school board in Williamson County voted on Monday night to prohibit students from using cellphones on its elementary and middle school campuses.
After amending the language of the policy, the board voted 10-2 to approve the new policy, which requires elementary and middle school students to lock away their phones during the school day.
Over the last several years, school districts around the country have begun to enact cell phone bans or cell phone restrictive policies.
The thinking is that decreasing use of phones during the school day decreases distractions and increases student focus.
But, does it work?
Data from one district in Florida suggests positive results.
“Interestingly, we observe significantly improved student test scores in the second year of the ban (about 2-3 percentiles higher than the year before the ban) when suspensions revert to pre-ban levels.”
The study, which is not peer-reviewed, also noted a decline in unexcused absences, which researchers say may have contributed to the higher academic performance.
The data indicate that a ban may initially cause disciplinary challenges as students and families adjust. However, the study notes that those issues resolve in a second year – Researchers did suggest that as much as half of the improvement in student scores may be the result of improved attendance.
It will be interesting to see results in other districts to see if similar results are shown – and what, if any, negative impacts occur.
As states and school districts explore and implement bans on smartphones at school, the question remains: Will these bans improve the student learning environment?
The answer: Maybe.
Overall, 68% of US adults responding to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey say they support a ban on middle and high school students using their phones during class. The biggest reasons these Americans gave for backing the move? Fewer distractions (98%), better social skills (91%), less cheating (85%), and reduced bullying (70%).
And, bans are in place in a number of areas of the country:
As of November 4, 2024, eight states — California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia — have passed policies that ban or restrict phone use in schools. These broadly take effect during the current school year. Twelve more states have introduced such legislation.
Anecdotal evidence suggests some improvement – students actually talking to each other during lunch, for example. Less instances of social media bullying.
Still, the research is uneven in terms of whether these bans will have a long-term, positive effect.
One analysis of studies that analyzed cell phone bans in schools across the globe found:
“Overall, the results indicated that the ban and no ban schools either did not differ significantly, or there were minimal differences, in terms of problematic use of mobile phones, academic engagement, school belonging, and bullying,” the authors reported.
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