Smart Devices

New legislation in Alabama bans K-12 students from using portable communication devices on campus during the school day and requires that they be trained on the risks of social media.

Some parents oppose legislation that would ban cellphones in Georgia public schools, arguing that the devices are essential for communicating with their kids in the event of a school shooting.

Greenwich Public Schools are restricting access to YouTube on school-issued devices for grades pre-K-5, largely at the request of elementary principals who saw the app as an unnecessary distraction for young children.

Since reorienting so much class time around screens, schools have seen lower student proficiency and fostered increasingly isolated childhood experiences, which studies show correlate with rising anxiety and depression.

A high school in Connecticut will require students to display Yondr pouches and ensure they are locked before entering the building. If a student is found to be lying about not having a phone, consequences will follow.

The Georgia Senate is considering a bill that would ban cellphones in elementary and middle schools. Lawmakers say restrictions for high schools may follow once today's younger students are used to going without phones.

The Gen Z representative who authored the bill, which would give local district leaders some control over their own policies, told colleagues she remembered how distracting phones were when she was in school.

K-12 schools are embracing the use of educational apps for many functions, and while administrators feel positive about this approach, parents and teachers may have “app overload,” according to a report last week.

Ohio lawmakers last year passed a bill requiring schools to limit phone use during the day, but Gov. Mike DeWine called on them to finish the job and pass a bill banning phones from use during school hours altogether.

Bipartisan bills advancing through the North Carolina House and Senate would require school districts to create their own restrictions for cellphone use during class.

In her State of the State address this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to call for state legislation to address smartphone distractions in schools, but local control remains important to many superintendents.

While many teachers and administrators have reported positive changes after phone bans, students found ways to bypass those rules by slipping calculators or dummy phones into pouches, or switching to smartwatches.

A school board in New Jersey adopted a policy prohibiting its own members from using smart devices during board meetings, aiming to lead by example after adopting phone restrictions for students last September.

A student group at Denham Springs High School won the national Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition with a project involving sensors to monitor Lake Maurepas and relay data to a public app.

Technology being deployed at 53 parking facilities serving the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will guide drivers to open spots, and offer a real-time look at demand and other information.

While a proposed bill addressing smartphones in schools makes its way through the Legislature, West Virginia teachers attest to the seriousness of the problem and the benefits of parting students from their phones.

At the nation's second-largest school system, smartphones can be used on buses to school but not during class, lunch or breaks. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said most teachers and students have embraced the policy.

Using student population data on factors like age, sex, years in school, race and ethnicity, researchers used artificial intelligence to help counselors understand which groups might benefit from additional resources.