Latest news with #cellphonepolicy
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cumberland County Schools wants your feedback on student cellphone use
Cumberland County Schools wants public feedback on a proposed policy governing student cellphone use. The school system drafted its policy in accordance with North Carolina House Bill 959, which was signed into law by Gov. Josh Stein on July 1, according to a news release. The law requires all North Carolina public school districts to adopt a consistent policy on student devices starting with the 2025-26 school year, the release said. Cumberland County Schools' proposed policy aims "to reduce distractions, protect instructional time and support safe, respectful learning environments across all grade levels. It outlines expectations for student use of personal devices such as cellphones, earbuds and smartwatches, with reasonable exceptions for students with medical needs, individual learning plans or safety supports." The school district is asking for input from students, teachers, families and community members by 5 p.m. July 21, the release said. Input will be compiled and shared with the Cumberland County Board of Education's Policy Committee before its Aug. 5 meeting. See the draft policy at: Submit your feedback at: This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Student cellphone use: Cumberland County Schools wants public input
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Windsor-Severance school district plans virtual town halls on cell-phone use in schools
The Weld RE-4 School District will hold virtual town halls July 8 and 10 to provide information and solicit feedback from the community on cell-phone use in schools, district officials said in a news release. Sessions are scheduled for noon-1 p.m. July 8 and 7:30-8:30 a.m. July 10. Online registration is required and available through the school district's website. The Weld RE-4 school district serves Severance, Windsor and west Greeley. Colorado's state legislature passed a law in May requiring schools and school districts across the state to 'adopt and implement a policy concerning student communication device possession and use during the school day' by July 1, 2026. More: Windsor, Severance schools will have new start, end times for 2025-26 The law was prompted by studies that found two-thirds of American teenagers use social media every day, with one-third using it 'almost constantly,' according to the legislation. Another study found that American teenagers who spent more than three hours a day on social media doubled their risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including anxiety and depression, the school district news release said. Weld RE-4 Superintendent Michelle Scallon said district staff spent the final two months of the 2024-25 school year studying data, researching other school districts' work on the topic and gathering input from parents, students and staff. 'We look forward to sharing this information and gathering feedback from our community on draft recommendations for cell phone use next year,' Scallon said in the news release. Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Weld RE-4 School District plans virtual town halls on cell-phone use
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Huntsville City School Board passes changes to cell phone policy
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Huntsville City Schools Board of Education passed changes to its cell phone policy at a meeting Tuesday night. All members of the board, except District 1 Board Member Andrea Alvarez, voted in favor of making the changes. Policy changes include: Superintendent making sure that any disciplinary action that is imposed is consistent for all students, employees or individuals Blocking or filtering internet access to obscene visual depictions, child sexual abuse material or images harmful to minors Restricting access by minors to inappropriate and harmful material on the Internet; Limiting Internet access by students only to age-appropriate subject matters and materials; Providing specific procedures and other protections that prioritize the safety and security of minors when they are using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; Preventing 'hacking' and other forms of unauthorized use of or access to computer or Internet files, sites, databases or equipment; Prohibiting access by students to unlawfully obtained data or information, including 'hacking,' and other unlawful online activity by students; Prohibiting access to websites, web applications, or software that exposes students to the disclosure, use, or dissemination of their personal information; Prohibiting students from accessing social media platforms, unless expressly directed by a teacher for educational purposes; Educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response. This comes after Governor Kay Ivey signed the FOCUS Act back in May. It bans smartphones in the classroom. HCS's Code of Conduct prior to this passing already students are allowed to bring, but not use or operate, wireless communication devices. These devices are supposed to be turned off and stored off their person in a locker, car, or other location during the instructional day except under limited circumstances. The definition of an 'instructional day' is: ● When school is open and in session;● During class time, lunch, transitions between classes, and any non-instructional periods;● Any time that students are required to store their Wireless Communication Devices by the Code of Conduct or other school rules; or● Any time students are instructed to store their devices by school staff. The existing policy also says that students who disobey the policy can be disciplined, and students are subject to inspection of their wireless devices if there is reasonable suspicion that the device contains evidence of violation of 'law, Board policy, the Code of Conduct, or other school rules, provided that the nature and extent of such reading, examination, or inspection shall be reasonably related and limited to the suspected violation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wake schools now have a cellphone policy. What students and parents should know.
Wake County elementary and middle schools are now expected to become cellphone-free during the school day with high schools allowing the devices to be used in limited situations. The Wake County school board unanimously gave final approval Tuesday to a new cellphone policy that says personal wireless communication devices must be silenced and put away during instructional time. The policy would allow high school students to take their phones out during breaks and if allowed in class by the teacher. 'High school students are different,' said school board member Lynn Edmonds. 'They should have a little bit more autonomy.' Failure to follow the new policy, which goes into effect in July, could result in phones being confiscated and students being disciplined. The policy represents Wake County's first attempt to standardize cellphone rules across all schools. Previously, individual schools set their own policies. Wake's new phone policy comes amid growing concerns about the negative impacts the devices have on learning and students' mental health. At least 24 states have laws or 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. Both the state House and Senate have passed their own bills restricting cellphone use in school and included the language in their budget proposals. Wake would have to change the policy if the Senate bill becomes law because it requires phones to be turned off and not just silenced in class. School leaders say the policy will likely need to be revised on a regular basis due to changes in technology. The phone policy is more restrictive at elementary schools and middle school than high schools. Under the policy, elementary and middle school students would be required to put their phones away during instructional time between morning and afternoon bells. To provide consistency, the board rejected adding wording on Tuesday that would allow schools to place additional restrictions. The policy defines 'put away' as being out of sight and not easily accessible. This can include putting the phone in a locker, backpack or bag. Students wouldn't be allowed to leave their phones in their pocket. Some exceptions would be allowed for students to use phones during school: ▪ Phones can be used during school hours if they're authorized or required in the individualized education program or Section 504 plan of a student with disabilities. Wording was added Tuesday to also include if phones are used by students with disabilities for translation or assistive communication. ▪ Phones can be used if they're part of a student's individualized health plan. Examples include using the phone to monitor a student's glucose levels ▪ School staff may authorize brief use of a device if there is a reasonable and legitimate need to communicate with someone outside the school during the instructional day. Students must ask for permission in advance, unless they're calling 911 in an emergency. Two exceptions would only apply at high schools: ▪ The high school is allowing teachers to authorize use of devices during class for instructional purposes. ▪ The high school has developed a rule for allowing the devices to be used during specified non-instructional time, such as class change and lunch. School board member Toshiba Rice said it would cause too many problems telling high school students that they can't check their phones during non-instructional times. 'You can't take away something that is part of a person's social norms in its entirety,' Rice said. The policy allows school staff to temporarily confiscate a student's phone if they've repeatedly violated the policy or their use of the device is substantially disrupting other students. At the urging of board member Lindsay Mahaffey, the policy was amended Tuesday to say that students will get a verbal warning first about silencing or putting away their phones before they are confiscated. 'They're children,' Mahaffey said. 'Children make mistakes.' Phones are generally supposed to be returned at the end of the class. But they can be confiscated for the entire school day if the student's behavior is substantially disruptive or if they've regularly violated the policy. Parents are supposed to be notified if their student's device is being repeatedly confiscated or if it's being confiscated for the entire school day. Parents can be required to come to the school to pick up the confiscated phone if there's been a pattern of violations all school year and written warning was provided ahead of time. The policy says the school system will not accept responsibility for the theft, loss or damage to phones. Ahead of the vote, the district surveyed teachers about the policy with 2,617 submitting responses. ▪ 87.6% of teachers agree or strongly agree that phones should be turned off during instructional time. ▪ Teachers were split whether there are appropriate times when student device use can be encouraged with 43.5% agreeing or strongly agreeing and 42.2% of teachers disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. ▪ 58.8% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that device confiscation should only be used as a last resort after other classroom management strategies have failed. ▪ 61.9% of teachers agree or strongly agree that they support device confiscation in classrooms. Also on Tuesday, the school board voted to convert Lake Myra Elementary School in Wendell to a multi-track year-round calendar starting in the 2026-27 school year. In a multi-track calendar, all the students are divided into four groups, called tracks, which have their own rotating schedules. Three tracks are in session at all times, which can increase the building's capacity by 20% or more. The conversion will expand Lake Myra's capacity from 616 students to 814 students. Lake Myra currently uses a track 4 year-round calendar, meaning all students follow the same schedule.
CBS News
03-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Cedar Hill ISD implements new cellphone policy for 2025-26 school year
North Texas school districts look for ways to curb cellphone use North Texas school districts look for ways to curb cellphone use North Texas school districts look for ways to curb cellphone use Another North Texas school district is making an effort to keep cellphones out of its classrooms. Cedar Hill ISD announced on Tuesday it will implement a new personal electronic communications policy starting this upcoming school year, 2025-26. CHISD said the goal with the policy is to increase scholar focus, reduce classroom distractions and enhance academic engagement across all grade levels. "As a board, we believe the new guidelines will limit distractions and disruptions to the learning process, which can frequently be caused by cellphone usage," said Cedar Hill ISD Board of Trustees President Dr. Denise Roache-Davis. "Our goal is to foster focused learning environments where every scholar is fully engaged. By limiting distractions, we are making space for deeper learning, collaboration, and academic growth." The policy states personal devices must be stored off during instruction. Device usage is only allowed before and after school, with exceptions for medical needs or Dallas College course access, according to the school district. Devices that are confiscated should be picked up by a parent or guardian for a $15 administrative fee. CHISD said there is a graduated system of consequences in place for repeat incidents. CHISD said the effort is in alignment with House Bill 1481, passed by Texas lawmakers last year. It encourages school districts to limit the use of cellphones during instruction time to support a more focused academic environment. CHISD students go back to class on Aug. 11.
