Should students have phones in school? There are several proposals to ban them in Massachusetts.
In an information age, everything is at your fingertips, but what happens when that access comes at school. There are more than half-a-dozen school cellphone bans proposed on Beacon Hill right now.
"We should definitely have it in our locker, but I don't think we should use them," said Veronica Churilove, a middle school student in Watertown.
"During school if they start texting to each other that might be a distraction," said Paul Khalarian, a grandfather of a middle school aged student. "Only thing they would need is if they have to get out to call their parents or grandparents to pick them up."
"Bell to bell with no cellphones"
Of the legislative proposals, one is called The Study Act, and was put forth by Attorney General Andrea Campbell. It has the backing of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA).
"That would require all districts to create a plan that would have bell to bell with no cellphones. Beginning of the day to the end of the day," explained Max Page, MTA President. "We have a number of school districts where they have done this, and from overall, what our members say is that it dramatically changes the school environment."
Brockton, Methuen and Lowell are just a few districts on the list.
"They range from the full ban all day long, others say that students can have them between classes, they're locked up different ways," said Page. "Districts do it already and they do it even sometimes class to class because they have these pouches they are called, and as the kids come in each day they have to put them in there."
Some parents disagree with an outright ban and say it could be a safety issue. Their hope is that any ban comes with caveats.
"Any time they are supposed to use it, they should have access to cellphones, but definitely not used during school time," said Victoria Churilove, Veronica's mother.
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