New legislation looks to limit cellphone usage in North Carolina schools

Yahoo

15-02-2025

NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — New legislation filed in Raleigh looks to limit phone usage in North Carolina Schools. Senate Bill 55 would ban students from using non-educational devices for the entire school day.
SB 55 would restrict students from using personal, wireless communication devices from the first to the last bell of the school day. Bill author Sen. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett County) told Queen City News the measure is getting positive feedback and downplayed concerns about safety.
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'There is a phone in every classroom in the state of North Carolina,' said Burgin. 'You know the teachers are instructed on what to do in case of an emergency. If there's an emergency, I don't want 30 kids or 25 kids, however many in the class on their phone, not listening, not taking instructions, not being quiet if they're told to be quiet.'
Back in January, a similar ban on phone usage went into effect statewide in South Carolina. Lancaster County Schools implemented their own policy months earlier. They had begun discussions about limiting phone use during the Summer of 2024.
'There was a lot of time being spent on asking students to put their phone away. We know that technology is a tool and there's a lot of positives to it, but we also know that it can be a distraction,' said Elizabeth Bryant, Director of Communication for Lancaster County School District.
Bryant said that district-wide, they're already seeing a positive impact.
'They have seen a lot of students talking to one another…the only negative thing, I wouldn't even say…it's really a positive, is that the conversations have increased and so the noise level in the buildings has increased,' she said.
Back in North Carolina, Sen. Burgin told Queen City News he believes his bill will get the votes it needs to become law, and argued a statewide mandate is the best way to improve outcomes for districts and their students.
'I think a lot of the districts are a little bit timid about doing some things,' he said. 'Whereas if they had clear direction from us, I think they would find it easier to do.'
While SB 55 would be the first state mandate restricting phones in North Carolina schools, several districts, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, have already rolled out their own policies.
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