Smart Devices

Amid the national conversation about whether cellphones belong in schools, a recent high school graduate from North Carolina defends them as tools for lonely students to find and connect with like-minded peers.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul inched toward a statewide ban on smartphones in schools, launching a “listening tour” that would span the state, aiming to hear from teachers and parents.

An 18-year-old youth advocate from the nonprofit Work2BeWell argues that instead of banning cellphones, schools should teach students proper cellphone etiquette alongside digital literacy.

A teen who recently graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati says students need to be able to contact their parents in case of schedule changes or emergencies, but they should take regular breaks from screens.

Westmont Hilltop School District in Pennsylvania worked with the school website company Edlio to build a mobile app for sharing news, information about events, field trip permission slips and other communications.

Nine groups including teachers and parents across Maine have joined forces to convince schools to ban cellphone use during the day, and parents to adopt new norms around how often their kids can access devices.

Proposed legislation approved in the Pennsylvania State Senate would give school districts money for lockable pouches to store student phones if those districts ban cell phone use during the school day.

As the California legislature works on a bill to restrict cellphone usage in classrooms, school administrators who have seen kids addicted to their phones at young ages are open to the idea and hope it provides guidance.

Many Bay Area school districts already restrict cellphone use in schools but allow students to use their phones during non-instructional time. Students and staff have mixed opinions on the idea of a statewide policy.

To curb distractions during class, a school district in North Alabama will no longer allow non-school-issued student devices to connect to its network, exempting students with certain medical conditions.

Teachers and administrators are finding it increasingly difficult to get students to focus in class, and a district-wide policy for collecting phones would avoid putting the onus on teachers to confront defiant students.

If students are on their phones too much, it has at least something to do with learning that behavior from adults. As schools ban phones, it becomes increasingly important for parents and teachers to put theirs down, too.

Katy Independent School District in Texas approved a policy prohibiting elementary and middle school students from having smart watches in school, and high school students from having them during instructional time.

Legislation recently advanced by the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee would enlist various districts to participate in a two-year pilot program to test the impact of locking up student cellphones during the day.

Faculty at Fredericksburg City Public Schools in Virginia overwhelmingly say the district should make clear to students and their families that only school-issued devices will be allowed during instructional time.

With at least two potential bills dealing with smartphones in schools moving through the California legislature, some schools in Folsom and Roseville have already implemented policies limiting phone access during class.

Teen addiction to smartphones is as observable as the noses on their faces, and the effects are increasingly backed up by data. Schools that keep phones out of reach during class see better grades and less cyber bullying.

Recent surveys by Carroll County Public Schools in Maryland found support for banning phones throughout the school day was highest among teachers, lower among parents, and lowest among students.