‘Do what's right by the kids': Horry County Schools' cell phone policy goes into effect
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Parents expressed mixed feelings about the personal electronic device policy that went into effect in Horry County Schools on Monday.
To keep receiving state funds, HCS is not letting its students use their devices, like cell phones and smartwatches, in school — with some exceptions. According to Horry County Schools' website, the policy is meant to create a school environment and learning experience free from electronic distractions.
Some parents, like Sean Pope, agree that students should not text or play games on their phones during class. However, he thinks kids should be able to contact their parents during breaks like lunch.
'I feel like, as the school system should, they should do what's right by the kids,' Pope said. 'But you got to make the parents feel comfortable. You have to make the parents know, 'You know what? My kids are OK in the school.''
'The policy shouldn't be to, really, hinder parents from being in contact with their children,' he added. 'They are our children. You wouldn't send your kid to the mall with no phone. You don't let your kids go to friends' houses with no phone. You know, you don't know these people at this school, other than the teachers that your kids come in contact with.'
Devices must be powered off once students enter their school building. Students must keep their devices in their lockers or their clear backpacks until the end of each school day.
Exceptions are if devices are authorized for classroom use, if a student needs a device for medical or educational reasons, or if a student works at an emergency organization like a fire department.
Additionally, if a school has an emergency, the administration may decide that students can use their devices to contact their parents or guardians.
'Parents are not trying to call the English teacher, or the principal, or the janitor to say, 'Hey. Have you seen such-and-such during the school shooting?'' Pope said. 'No, you're trying to get in contact with your child.'
Each level of schooling has its own violation policies. However, overall, if students do not follow the policy, their parents or guardians need to pick up the device from school.
A parent commented on News13's Facebook post on Monday.
'I got a call this morning that my son's phone was taken, and I have to come pick it up,' the parent said. 'He wasn't even using it, but because it was on in his backpack, and they can see through the clear backpacks, they took it.'
Also, for every violation or refusal to give up their personal device, students can face in-school and out-of-school suspensions or an evidentiary hearing.
Pope says the policy and consequences make school seem like 'prison.'
'Your job is to teach my children,' he said. 'My children's job is to respect the fact that you're in the classroom teaching. But you, as the teacher, should not tell me when I can and can't talk to my kid.'
However, some parents think the policy will help students. One of these parents commented on News13's Facebook post.
'You do not need to call or text your child during the day,' the parent said. 'If it is an emergency, call the office. If they need to reach you, they can go to the office. They need to break the [cell phone] addiction.'
An HCS spokesperson said the district's goal is to help students understand the new policy, and if parents have concerns about the policy or disciplinary measures regarding their student, they should reach out to the school's administrator.
* * *
Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
12 hours ago
UK to hold national inquiry into organized child sex abuse after pressure from Musk
LONDON -- The British government announced Saturday it will hold a national inquiry into organized child sexual abuse, something it has long been pressured to do by opposition politicians — and Elon Musk. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would accept a recommendation from an independent reviewer for a judge-led inquiry with the power to summon witnesses. Starmer said he would 'look again' and hold a probe into what the press have dubbed 'grooming gangs' of men who prey on often young and vulnerable women. In some of the most high-profile cases to come to trial, the perpetrators were men of Pakistani heritage, and the issue has been taken up by right-of-center politicians including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and stoked by Musk, who took to his X platform to condemn Starmer over the issue. Musk criticized Starmer for not backing a national inquiry into the matter following a request from the local authority in the northern English town of Oldham, where police found girls under 18 were sexually exploited by groups of men in the 2000s and 2010s. Musk also alleged that Starmer failed to bring perpetrators to justice when he was England's chief prosecutor between 2008 and 2013, a charge that the prime minister vigorously denied. Because the cases in Oldham and similar ones in several other towns involved predominantly white girls abused by men largely from Pakistani backgrounds, the issue has been used to link child sexual abuse to immigration, and to accuse politicians of covering up the crimes out of a fear of appearing racist. A 2022 report into what happened in the northwest England town of Oldham between 2011 and 2014 found that children were failed by local agencies, but that there was no cover-up despite 'legitimate concerns' that the far-right would capitalize on 'the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders across the country.' In January the government said it would support several local inquiries into child exploitation in cities where gangs of men were prosecuted. It had previously said there was no need for further investigations following a string of previous inquiries, both local and national. A seven-year inquiry was held under the previous Conservative government, but many of the 20 recommendations it made in 2022 — including compensation for abuse victims — have yet to be implemented. Starmer's government also asked Louise Casey, an expert on victim's rights and social welfare, to review previous findings. Her review has been submitted to the government but has not yet been published. 'I have never said we should not look again at any issue,' Starmer said as he flew to Canada for a Group of Seven summit. 'I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit. 'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on. She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation.' The main opposition Conservative Party offered a swift response. 'Those in authority deliberately covered up the systematic rape of thousands of girls as young as 10 because the perpetrators were mainly of Pakistani origin. They thought race relations were more important than protecting young girls,'' Conservative law and order spokesman Chris Philp said. 'The truth must now come out and people in positions of authority responsible for the cover up held to account.''
12 hours ago
What to know about Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, lawmakers shot in Minnesota
State Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, who were targeted by a shooter on Saturday, were longtime members of Minnesota's state legislature who spent years working to improve their communities, according to leaders who knew them. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday by a suspect who posed as a police officer, investigators said. They left behind two children. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier in the morning by the same suspect inside their home at Champlin. The couple, who have a daughter, were rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, Gov. Tim Walz said. Both state leaders were members of Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), a state party affiliated with the Democrats. Hortman, 55, nee Haluptzok, had the most experience in the state legislature. She earned a BA in political science and philosophy at Boston University and worked as an intern for then-Sen. Al Gore and later Sen. John Kerry, according to her campaign biography. Hortman went on to earn a law degree at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and clerked with Judge John Sommerville. She later earned an MPA from Harvard in 2018. Outside politics, Hortman worked as a private attorney and volunteered her time in the local school board and Sunday school at Saint Timothy Catholic Church in Blaine. She first ran for office in 1998, for the State House of Representatives seat, but lost. After another defeat for the same seat four years later, Hortman was elected to the state's District 47B in 2004. Hortman quickly rose through the ranks of the House, serving as assistant majority leader from 2007 to 2010 and as minority whip from 2011 to 2012. She championed many causes, including reproductive rights and environmental issues. She also pushed for stricter gun control and attended events with gun control advocates, including Everytown for Gun Safety. In 2017, she was named minority leader and became speaker in 2019 after the DFL gained a majority in the House. Hortman spearheaded efforts to pass police reform in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. During this year's session, the state House Republicans and the DFL engaged in a tense standoff over leadership after Republicans gained seats. A DFL boycott ended in February with a power-sharing agreement where Hortman retained the title of minority leader until a March special election created a tie in the House. Hortman and her husband were married for 31 years. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager for nVent Electric, a company that specialized in electronics, particularly green electronics, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Mark Hortman frequently posted photos and updates about his family on his Facebook page. "A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video showing off how we taught our dog how to ring the doorbell when he wants to come inside. Well, now that dog has figured out that if he wants to play he rings the doorbell and then ding dong ditches us just to get us to come outside and play!," he posted in 2023. The couple was kiled on the same day as the birthday of Melissa Hortman's father, her sister, Lieza Jean Haluptzok, told ABC News. "We loved them dearly; they will be missed. It's a horrible thing. I hope they catch him. And they get justice for what happened. It's devastating," she said Saturday afternoon. Hoffman, 60, was elected to the State Senate in 2012. A Wyoming native, Hoffman earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's University and spent several decades working for various Minnesota businesses and non-profits, according to his campaign bio page. He was the co-founder of Consumer Credit of Minnesota, a non-profit consumer assistance organization, and served on the Anoka Hennepin School Board starting in 2005, his bio said. In 2012, he won the state senate seat for District 34 and would win reelection three more times. He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020 and is on the Senate's Human Services committee. "Throughout my career, I have been afforded many opportunities to assume progressive management roles, which have allowed me to gain and implement a unique set of expertise," he wrote on his campaign page.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Minnesota State Patrol reveals ‘No Kings' flyers in car of suspect who shot two lawmakers
The Minnesota State Patrol implored the public not to participate in the planned 'No Kings' protests across the North Star State in light of the attack that killed a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, while badly injuring another politician. Officials revealed that the suspect behind the deadly attack had flyers for the 'No Kings' rally in their vehicle. 'Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today's planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,' state patrol said in a statement. Advertisement 3 Former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down in their home. Melissa Hortman/Facebook 3 Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured in a similar shooting at their home a couple miles away from Hortman. John Hoffman/Facebook 3 People take part in a 'No Kings' protest in Bethesda, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington in defiance of President Trump. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 'The photo is of flyers inside the vehicle of the suspect in today's shootings.' Thousands of 'No Kings' protests had been planned across the US in defiance of President Trump and the 250th Army anniversary parade. Organizers for the demonstrations canceled the planned protests in Northeast Minneapolis.
