Latest news with #158
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate votes 30-2 to ban student cellphone use in K-12 schools
May 15—The Ohio Senate passed a measure this week that would generally prohibit Ohio K-12 students from using cellphones during the school day. Senate Bill 158 passed by a vote of 30-2 Wednesday, with two Democratic detractors. It's already received the blessing of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who in recent years has connected cellphones to negative learning outcomes, worrying mental health and poor socialization among children. "The facts are clear: School districts that have restricted student cellphone use during the instructional day have seen a return to noisy classrooms, fostering real, face-to-face conversations and relationships," said Sen. Jane Timken, R-Canton, while encouraging her colleagues to vote for her bill. "Eliminating cellphones in schools leads to improved academic performances and allows (students) to develop academically and socially and thrive." Numerous educators have said the classroom atmosphere is better without cellphones, but Timken's comment about improved academic performance is one that is still up for debate. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, much of the academic research on the issue so far has been outside the U.S. One English study found increased academic performance after schools banned cell phones, but a similar study in Sweden found no relationship between school cell phone bans and academic performance. A 2024 Norwegian study on school smartphone bans showed some GPA improvement for girls, especially from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. S.B. 158, if passed into law, would require each Ohio public school to adopt a policy prohibiting the use of cellphones by students during instructional hours. The bill is a slight adjustment from Ohio's current law, also pushed by DeWine, which required every school district in the state to adopt policies to limit cellphone use during the school day. S.B. 158 would allow schools to make exceptions for students who have a health concern that needs to be monitored, according to the legislature's nonpartisan analysis of the bill. The bill now heads to the Ohio House, which has previously approved of state efforts to cut down on cellphone use during the school day. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate passes bill banning students using cellphones during school day
(Photo by SDI Productions via Getty Images) Ohio students are one step closer to being banned from using cellphones during the school day. The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 158 by a vote of 30-2 during Wednesday's Senate session. The bill would require schools to create a policy banning students from using cellphones during the school day. Ohio state Sens. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, and Beth Liston, D-Dublin, voted against the bill, which now goes to the Ohio House for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ohio Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, introduced the bill about a month ago. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was quick to voice his support for it, saying last month that 'we need to be sure that our classrooms, frankly, are now cellphone free.' 'This legislation is a common sense approach to unplug our children from the constant flow of distractions during the vital school time in which they are in the classroom,' Timken said during Wednesday's Senate session. 'It will boost in-person relationships and reduce distractions.' A 2024 Pew Research study reported 72% of U.S. high school teachers said cellphone distraction is a major problem in classrooms. Students receive nearly 200 alerts per day on their cellphones, according to Statista. Ohio law currently requires all school districts to have a policy for student cellphone use by July 1. Some schools already ban cellphones while other schools limit cell phone use to only certain times of the day. S.B. 158 would take the law a step further by banning the use of cellphones in school. School districts would have to ban cellphones in school by Sept. 1, according to the bill. 'The facts are clear, school districts that have restricted student cellphone use during the instructional day have seen a return to noisy classrooms, fostering real face-to-face conversations and relationships,' Timken said. 'Eliminating cellphones in schools leads to improved academic performance and allows them to develop academically and socially and thrive.' State Sen. Catherine D. Ingram, D-Cincinnati, echoed Timken's comments. 'There are distractions, and we need to make sure that when our children are in school, they are learning,' she said. There are some exceptions to the bill. A school board can allow a student to use a cellphone to monitor a health concern if the board receives a written statement from the student's doctor. The bill also requires public school administrators to include protocol addressing cellphone use during an active shooter situation in the emergency management plan for each building. At least 21 states require school districts to ban or restrict students' cellphone use in schools, according to Education Week. Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Utah have a statewide restriction. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parents worry about student safety if cell phones are banned in Ohio schools
Photo by WEWS. As Ohio lawmakers move to ban cell phones in public schools, some parents raise concerns about being able to check in — or say goodbye — to their kids during active shootings. 'My teens use their cell phones for just about everything,' Cincinnati mom Natalie Hastings said. As smartphones only become more prevalent for kids, schools and parents are trying to crack down on the distractions. 'It's a very regular part of the routine to give up their phone at the beginning of class,' Hastings added. She explains that she has boundaries when it comes to cell phone usage — and her school district has too, allowing students to have phones during lunch but not in class. 'It did seem to cut down on some of the, during the day, recording people surreptitiously in the restroom or something,' she continued. Last year, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law mandating that every public school district make a policy regarding phone usage in schools. But this year, he wants to go even further. 'Those notifications make it nearly impossible for students to focus and to learn,' DeWine said during a press conference Tuesday. He and state Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, have introduced S.B. 158, which would ban the use of cell phones for students in public schools. 'This legislation is a common sense approach to unplug our children from the constant distractions,' Timken said. All districts put policies in place to limit phone usage during the day, with some banning them outright. But this bill makes sure that the remaining schools take the summer to create a total prohibition. However, it doesn't say how they must ban them. 'I don't understand, will they be in their cars and then they'll get stolen out?' Hastings said. Some schools require students to keep their cell phones in magnetically locking 'Yondr' bags. Others just collect them in a box at the beginning of class. The mom argues that this is the good thing about local control. 'The local districts know better than the state what's going to work where they are,' she said. This could be seen as an unfunded mandate, as Parma Superintendent Charles Smialek said in 2024. There would be some exceptions, such as if the student has a health concern or if it's needed for learning disabilities — like under an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan. Although Hastings is generally supportive of the idea of limiting phone use, she can't help but fear for what happens during an emergency. 'The number one school safety problem is guns, regardless of the type and size of the school,' Hastings said, noting that in the Uvalde shooting in 2022, numerous children called 911 for help as the perpetrator shot 19 students and two teachers — also injuring nearly 20 others. 'Phones have been very useful in situations with the shooter threat.' We asked the governor about this. 'Schools, with advice from experts, have been working very, very hard to have a protocol and to follow that protocol,' the governor responded. 'I think most experts look at this and think the use of cell phones many times will interfere with the execution of that protocol.' Dublin City Schools Superintendent Dr. John Marschhausen explained why he thinks that is. 'If students are given directions on where to go, them looking down at their phones, it only slows the process as to what we're trying to do,' Marschhausen, the top administrator at the Columbus suburban district, said. Other parents reached out, and some social media users argue that sending one text to your parent that you are OK or that you love them wouldn't cause a disaster. 'I am less worried about being able to get in touch with my child,' Hastings said. 'I'm more concerned with them being able to get in touch with me.' Marschhausen also added that there is already a reunification system for families. 'A reunification site only means so much if you can't reunite with them,' the mother said. The Senate bill will likely be heard quickly over the coming weeks. However, a provision was added to the House's proposed budget that may pass the House WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor supports new bill banning student cellphone use in Ohio schools
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine gives the State of the State address in the Ohio House chambers at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. (Pool photo by Samantha Madar, Columbus Dispatch.) Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is throwing his support behind a new bill that would require schools to create a policy banning students from using cellphones during the school day. State Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, recently introduced Ohio Senate Bill 158, which would ban cellphones in schools. The bill had sponsor testimony Tuesday in the Ohio Senate Education Committee. 'We need to be sure that our classrooms, frankly, are now cellphone free,' DeWine said. 'We all know that screen time is very, very addictive. Just having a phone nearby means students are receiving constant notifications all day long.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ohio law currently requires all districts to have a policy for student cellphone use in schools by July 1. Some schools already ban cellphone use, while other schools restrict cellphone use to only certain times of the day. Timken's bill would take the law a step forward by outright banning the use of cellphones. 'This legislation is a common sense approach to unplug our children from the constant distractions that they have in the classroom,' Timken said. 'It will reduce those distractions and allow instructors to facilitate the building of interpersonal relationships that are so vital to human development by eliminating cellphone use in our classrooms.' A 2024 Pew Research study found that 72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in classrooms. Students receive nearly 200 alerts per day on their cellphones, according to Statista. 'Those notifications make it nearly impossible for students to focus and to learn,' DeWine said. He said he has heard positive things from parents, superintendents, principals, and teachers in districts where they have already banned cellphones during the school day. 'Their kids are focused in the classroom, the lunch room is noisy,' he said. 'Once again, kids are actually talking to each other. The kids are actually talking instead of burying their heads and their phones. Grades are better. Socialization is improving and becoming more positive. The number of students being disciplined is down. … The result has been, I think, overwhelmingly indicating that our children in Ohio are better off with no cellphones during the day.' Timken said the hope is to pass the bill and potentially add it as an amendment to the budget. The Ohio House is expected to vote on the two-year budget Wednesday, sending it over to the Ohio Senate. Under S.B. 158, school districts would have to ban cellphone use by Sept. 1. One objection to banning cellphone use is a concern that students won't be able to reach their parents during an active shooter situation, but Dublin City School District Superintendent John Marschhausen said that would only slow students down from escaping danger. 'If students are given directions and where to go, them looking down at their phones, it only slows the process as to what we're trying to do, what we've practiced when it comes to evacuating, when it comes to lockdown, when it comes to shelter in place,' he said. At least 23 states have laws or policies that ban or limit students' cellphone use in schools, according to Education Week. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Express Tribune
05-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Double whammy for consumers as gold prices hit record high
Listen to article Gold prices surged to an all-time high on Wednesday, both internationally and in Pakistan, as investors turned to the precious metal to protect their capital from devaluation. In the global market, the price of gold jumped by $53 per ounce, reaching a record $2,868. The sharp increase drove local prices higher, with 24-karat gold in Pakistan rising by Rs5,300 per tola, reaching an unprecedented Rs299,600. The price of 10 grams of gold also climbed by Rs4,158 to a new high of Rs256,859. Silver prices followed suit, with per tola silver increasing by Rs36 to Rs3,350, while the price of 10 grams rose by Rs31.50 to Rs2,872. The surge reflects a growing trend among investors seeking safe-haven assets amid economic uncertainty and currency depreciation. Analysts say heightened demand could keep gold prices elevated in the near future.
