With just a few weeks of summer left, our local school districts are making their last minute touches to get ready to welcome students for the new school year.
It’s not enough for them to make sure the facilities, supplies, curriculum and anything else of that nature is ready to go. Now, they’re doing it all while implementing new laws enacted by our Texas Legislature.
Among these is a state ban on cellphones during school hours, though districts can make their own decision whether to designate a method to store students’ phones or ban them outright.
Let’s face it. All of us rely on electronic devices way more than we should and with cellphones, it's literally having everything right in the palm of your hand.
There’ve been numerous scientific studies done that support the harmful effects of using mobile phones for long periods of time, including changes in brain activity, reaction times and sleep patterns.
They provide an easy distraction at school, at work and on the road. Research shows the chance of a traffic accident is four times greater when a phone is used while driving, whether handheld or hands-free.
The times we actually NEED to use our phones is likely much, much, much less than we actually do. And we know this, because many generations have survived without it.
As districts reveal their plans to abide by the new law, recent comments online have shown parents are in an uproar at the idea their child wouldn’t have cellphone access at school. (Funnily enough, the responses from the students we’ve encountered are more curious than anything.)
Truthfully, we don’t really get the anger.
After all, the law isn’t complete black and white. There are exceptions, including cellphone allowance when used for educational purposes, with a doctor’s note or when phone use meets health and safety protocols.
If your child relies on their phone to monitor their blood sugar levels, for instance, they won’t be denied it under a blanket rule.
We also know leveling the frustrations at the school district is not only unfair, but plain wrong. They’re literally following the laws they are told to follow. So if there’s blame, it needs to lay at the feet of our state representatives.
Some parents note how times have changed since the days of no phones. We wholeheartedly agree, and acknowledge the changes haven’t all been for the better, especially when it comes to safety.
School shootings immediately come to mind, and parents are fearful they won’t be able to reach their child, or that district communication methods may fail during an emergency.
Sure, a communication breakdown can happen. But on the flip side, Mineral Wells Superintendent David Tarver brought up some interesting points recently — cell traffic can impede telecommunication channels (think police radios, for instance) that districts need to be clear during an emergency.
With the addition of social media, disinformation can spread like absolute wildfire, and a conversation from a student relaying what may or may not be accurate can cause even more problems, and potentially community panic.
Finally, in the event of an intruder situation, the sound notifications of a cellphone could give away student locations easily.
The rule may not perfect, and may take time to refine. But we see it as having more advantages than not.
Other schools have already opted in to it, but you’d likely never know. Why? Because the impact wasn’t near as detrimental as some are forecasting it to be.
© 2025 the Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, N.Y.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
