Smart phones provide access to sites and tools they might need for those classes, whereas some of those sites may be unavailable by school computer if the district blocks access, she said.
In her entrepreneurship class, for example, students use their cell phones to make calls to business people and to go to website design platforms.
But when teachers tell students to put phones away to listen to a lecture, that's what she does.
Cell phones also are important to carry for safety purposes, Sullivan said. With all the school violence nationwide and security issues that might occur locally, "I do like the thought of being able to text my mom just in case something were to happen," she said.
Use of cell phones in classrooms is now being deliberated by the Indiana Legislature.
Under Senate Bill 185, school districts would have to adopt policies prohibiting a student from using a cell phone or other wireless communication device during instructional time, unless the teacher allows it for educational purposes.
Wireless devices would include cellphones, a tablet or laptop computer, or a gaming device.
A student could also use a cell during an emergency, to manage their health or if it's part of their individualized education program.
The policy would have to be published on the school corporation's website.
The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate and on Tuesday, the House passed it by a vote of 83-8. It goes back to the Senate with no amendments.
The bill's author, State Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, and chair of the Senate education committee, stated in a news release the bill "would require each Indiana school to implement a cellular device policy that appropriately limits the use of these devices in the classroom ... This bill would ensure our students are paying attention to lessons being taught in the classroom instead of their phones."
Nationally, more districts restrict use
According to a November 2023 Education Week article, based on a nationwide survey, nearly a quarter of teachers, principals, and district leaders think that cellphones should be banned from school grounds.
"But, overall, educators are divided on the issue," the article stated.
The article goes on, "With nearly 9 in 10 teens age 13 and older possessing a smartphone, these devices have become a major source of distraction and disruption in schools, especially when students' online arguments spill over into in-school arguments and physical fights.
"And many educators and school support staff feel that students' constant access to social media on their smartphones is harming their mental wellbeing and hurting their ability to learn. Some educators go so far to say that students are addicted to their devices," the Education Week article stated.
Other reports indicate an increasing number of districts nationwide are looking at student cell phone bans on campus.
Some schools have partnered with companies to implement the use of magnetically sealed fabric pouches to lock up phones during the school day.
The issue also is drawing the attention of Congress.
"In rapid succession over the past few months, bipartisan groups of members of Congress have proposed legislation or amendments to curb, shift or study the impact of phones and social media on kids — especially in classrooms," according to a January report by CBS News.
SB 185 has much support
State Rep. Tonya Pfaff, D-Terre Haute, is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 185 on the House side. As a high school math teacher, she has first-hand experience on the positives and negatives of student cell phones in classrooms.
She co-sponsored the bill "so teachers and administration have as much support as they can from the state level."
Cell phones can be very distracting to students and also not the best for their social, emotional and mental health, she said.
"By having a discussion about cell phones and the use and abuse of them, it's helping to shed light that it really has become a crisis in the classroom," Pfaff said.
As a teacher, Pfaff has serious concerns about cell phone use in the classroom. "The majority of time the students are not using them for educational purposes," she said.
Students are easily distracted, she said. "I've taught for over 30 years and I've taught with cell phones and without cell phones. It is far more difficult for students to concentrate when their cell phone is on their desk and people are constantly texting them and sending them memes," she said.
It becomes more difficult for teachers to teach new concepts. Constant cell phone use is hurting learning, she said, and she believes most teachers would agree.
"Students aren't as interested in the classroom as they used to be before cell phones came around," she said. "They would much rather be entertained via social media" than listen to a lesson on Pythagorean theorem.
To be fair, many adults have a hard time disengaging from cell phones, too, she said.
She's also aware that some parents want to be able to text their children anytime during the school day.
"I think parents should, when their kid gets to school, trust in the system. We want to educate their student," Pfaff said. "If they need to get in touch with their student, they can during lunchtime or after school."
The Indiana State Teachers Association supports the legislation, as does the Indiana School Boards Association.
"Hoosier educators are facing increasing challenges related to discipline and academic performance, partly due to the prevalence of student cell phone use," Keith Gambill, ISTA president said in a statement.
SB 185 "balances the need to minimize classroom distractions with the flexibility for local schools to tailor policies according to their unique needs," he said.
Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association, said most school corporations already address restrictions and allowable uses of cellphones and other personal communications devices through student handbooks and/or school board policy.
Typically, school district guidelines either prohibit use of the devices in the classroom or grant use at teacher discretion if used for an educational purposes, Spradlin said.
Guidelines typically permit cellphone use in school buildings before and after school, during passing periods and during lunch periods.
ISBA is a proponent of local control, he said, but it has heard from local officials that SB 185 "will establish statewide policy consistency to help better enforce restrictions," Spradlin said.
The Vigo County School Corp. has a policy posted on its website that, in part, restricts cell phone use in the classroom unless the student has a teacher's permission.
The policy also includes possible consequences, as does the VCSC Student-Family Handbook.
The policy and handbook deal with other violations involving cell phones, such as academic dishonesty, invasion of privacy, etc.
"The VCSC believes phones can be a large distraction from the educational process," the district said in a statement. "We continue monitoring potential changes to statute."
Other viewpoints
Amanda Hoole, who has three sons attending Terre Haute South Vigo High School, believes it's important for students to be able to have their cell phones at school for safety reasons or so that she and her sons can communicate quick text messages, outside of class, if necessary.
If there is a possible safety concern, "My kids are the first to tell me before I get any information from the school," something that gives her peace of mind, she said.
Hoole believes if her family needs to communicate a message, they should be able to send or receive text messages during passing periods or before/after school.
But once in the classroom, "I think the teacher needs to have that control of that room and what they say needs to go," Hoole said.
From her experience, teachers do set the expectations. Some teachers say "absolutely not. Put it away." Others say students can use their cell phones after their work is done.
Hoole is not sure why legislation is being proposed. "I know in my household, it's not been an issue," she said.
Wyatt Butcher, North Vigo High School senior, believes cell phones can be a big distraction for a lot of students, but the blame can't be placed solely on phones. "A lot of time those kids wouldn't pay attention, anyway. They would find other things to distract themselves."
He believes it's the individual's responsibility to be attentive.
Butcher said he probably wouldn't support state legislation that seeks to restrict cell phone use in school.
"I feel it wouldn't have the desired effect ... I feel like it would punish kids who are self disciplined about it and not help kids who would be distracted anyway," he said.
For his classes, teachers are more liberal in allowing use of cell phones in electives, but for AP physics, it's more strict. "If you don't pay attention, you will get behind fast," he said.
Butcher believes policies in place work pretty well. "I do think there is a big problem with distraction in education right now; I think that stems from a lack of effort and not phones."
Cell phones can be used as a scapegoat when it's really a larger issue, he believes.
One answer might be trying to motivate students more to do well in their classes. "I'm not sure how you would do that," Butcher said.
© 2024 The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Ind.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
