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.
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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Peter Greene wrote earlier this year about the challenge presented by cell phones in school.
When phones first became ubiquitous, schools tried to ban them during class time. Then sought to use them as a learning tool, but restrict their use otherwise. Then faced parent pressure to allow the use of phones so parents could always be in touch.
Now, we’re back at banning them during the school day.
At least, that’s what’s happening in Los Angeles starting in January.
Los Angeles Unified teachers, parents and students expressed support for the district’s upcoming cell phone ban — but with some concerns about the details.
The new policy, set to roll out in January, is being created in response to a school board resolution.
Studies show the unregulated use of phones on campus can harm students’ academic progress and cause harm to kids’ mental health.
As the article notes, there’s broad support for the plan – but the actual response to implementation is not yet clear.
How will parents – accustomed to getting real-time updates from their kids – respond to not having constant access to them?
In what ways will students attempt to skirt the policy?
What will enforcement look like? Will phones be confiscated for periods of time?
What is clear, though, is that cell phone use at school presents a range of challenges – from being a distraction to learning to being a source of anxiety for students.
It will be interesting to see how this policy plays out – and what other districts do in terms of cell phone policy in the near future.
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Peter Greene explores the trend toward banning cell phone use at schools – and points out the pros and cons of such a policy:
Just a couple of decades ago, teachers at conferences heard that smartphones were the education tool of the future. Now it appears that the national mood is to take broad steps to keep those devices out of classrooms.
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