Ohio’s School Cell Phone Policies Taking Hold
From Forbes.com
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education called on states, districts, and schools to adopt policies around the student use of call phones in school. Ohio is one state that is already well on its way.
The department’s call is one more sign of the growing consensus that smart devices and screens need to be brought under control in the nation’s schools.
Pressure to ban the devices has been building in education circles for years; most teachers can tell a story of a student checked out and unable to separate from their device. Works like Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation have fed the idea that internet connection is at least partly responsible for a growing mental health problem among children.
While students often push back against phone bans, parents can be the real challenge for a school district. For some parents, the power to stay in touch throughout the entire day can be irresistible. For families that are stretching resources (two jobs, three kids, one car), cellphones can be invaluable. And in an age with heightened fear of school shootings and other emergency situations, many parents to do not trust the schools to provide the kind of quick crisis communication that they need.
Several states have some sort of law requiring schools to deal with cell phones in school. Florida, Louisiana, California and South Carolina have outright bans for cell phones. Virginia has an executive order calling for officials to solicit public opinion as a basis for crafting policy. Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio have passed laws requiring schools to develop some sort of policy about student cell phones.
Ohio’s law requires schools to adopt a policy governing cell phone use by July of 2025. The law calls for districts to reduce cell phone-related distractions and limit use as much as possible, while still allowing devices to be used for learning or in connection with student health concerns. However, the Ohio Department of Education, “under the leadership of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted,” encourages districts and schools to adopt a policy to eliminate cell phone use during the school day.
More info about how that’s working out for Ohio in the full story.
The push to regulate student cellphones is a chance for schools to focus on culture, not just compliance. It’s going to have to take intentional work to make sure it feels that way.