Does banning students from using phones in class work? Some NC school leaders say yes

T. Keung Hui, The Charlotte Observer on Dec 3, 2024

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School leaders from across North Carolina on Tuesday pitched the benefits of limiting or outright preventing students from using their cellphones during the school day.

The State Board of Education is weighing whether to adopt new policies or recommend new laws that would set limits on student cellphone use in schools. During a planning meeting Tuesday, school leaders from Brunswick, Granville and Union counties said student behavior has improved due to limits they’ve placed on cellphone use.

“It takes a little while to wean them off,” Brunswick County Superintendent Dale Cole told the state board. “But after they do, our study shows that our students actually appreciate it.”

At least 18 states have passed laws or enacted policies that ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an Education Week analysis.

The General Assembly could act on the issue next year, whether requiring schools to limit cellphone use or a statewide study of the issue.

Phones not allowed during school day

Brunswick County, which is located along the coast, started a pilot program this school year that prevents students at two middle schools from using their phones during the school day.

Students at the two middle schools are required to place their phones in a pouch that’s placed in their backpacks. They’re only allowed to take their phone out at the end of the school day in an approved area unless they have a medical exemption, such as needing to check their blood glucose levels.

Students aren’t allowed to take their phones out during lunch or when they’re changing classes.

“More mess happens during lunch and class changes than any other time when you’re talking about access to social media, bullying, that sort of thing,” Cole said.

Teachers have embraced the program, according to Cole. He cited survey results which show that most teachers think the program has reduced student distractions and improved student behavior.

One challenge though, according to Cole, is that some parents don’t support phone bans.

Some parents have cited wanting to talk with their children during a school shooting. But Cole said they want to make sure students are listening to their teacher’s instructions in an emergency.

“If they don’t agree with what we’re doing with cellphones, then they can get a voucher and they can go to a private school that loves cellphones,” Cole said.

Sexting, threats a problem in some NC schools

Granville County doesn’t use the word ban, according to Superintendent Stan Winborne. But they have what he calls an “off and away” policy for student cellphone use.

Winborne said the change was needed because of issues such as sexting and threats leading to school lockdowns that were “spiraling out of control.”

“We’ve really gone all out trying to communicate with our parents and our educators that cellphones if they’re out is a disciplinary referral to the office,” Winborne told the state board. “It’s not handled by the teacher.”

Winborne told the board he’d like state funding to purchase pouches such as those used in Brunswick County.

Allowing phones during class changes and lunch

In Union County, students in elementary and middle schools are not allowed to use their phones on school grounds.

But last year, Kim Fisenne, principal of Porter Ridge High School in Monroe, said the policy was modified so that high school students can use their phones during class changes and lunch. She said some teachers may also let students use their phones in class.

Fisenne said the policy was modified after high school teachers became frustrated with the discipline issues from students using their phones after the pandemic. She said the change has reduced issues but they still have problems with cellphones in schools.

“Are students using those (phones) in sneaky ways? Yes,” Fisenne told the state board. “Do they use them to harass other students? Yes. Set up drug deals? Yes.”

Local control sought on phone rules

The policy discussion comes as Sen. Jim Burgin, a Harnett County Republican, told the state board he plans to reintroduce school cellphone legislation next year. The Senate didn’t vote on the study bill Burgin co-sponsored last year with Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Wake County Democrat.

Burgin told the state board that he wants their input in the new legislation.

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt reiterated Tuesday that she didn’t think a statewide ban is the way to go.

“I do think that the legislature’s role in this through the state board is to hold every district responsible for creating and implementing a cellphone policy of some sort,” Truitt added.

State board chair Eric Davis asked the local school leaders what they think the state board can do on the issue. The common response is that it should be left up to local districts to decide how to handle the problem.

“Just knowing that the state supports us, that it’s OK to not allow cellphones to be used rampantly in schools is important,” Fisenne said. “But how we do that and exactly what our policy says I think is really good more at the local level.”